Last Rites
by SVFFR
Summary: The Master of Death decides his time is long past. However, before he can move on, he has to save the world. Again.
1. IN1of3 Prologue - Satan

**Disclaimer:** We own nothing but our own ideas, and we're not sure if we own them either. Assume this applies to the whole fic.

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 **Prologue – Satan**

 **(Introduction Arc, Part One of Three)**

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The end of the Great War was nigh. The clash of titans that would decide the winners was set to take place at any moment, all Three Factions having amassed the bulk of their forces at the site of what would be a decisive battle in the Underworld between the leaders of each faction. The location of the coming fight was a vast, empty plain in the Satan territories outside of the capital city of Lucifaad.

The absolute strongest of all God's Angels, His Seraphim, were at one side of the great plain, hundreds upon thousands of lower-ranked Angels standing behind them. His Light shone brightly from the back of the formation as the white-winged sentinels guarded the interdimensional gate to Heaven He had created with His conceptual magic of Genesis. God Himself was on the other side of the gate, maintaining its composition. Row upon row of Angels steadily exited the hole in the sky, forming the ranks of the armies of Heaven behind the two Seraphs at the front. As more and more of the Heavenly Host arrived, anticipation continued to build up amongst them.

Facing the Angels on the other side of the plain were the Demons and their combined armies, buzzing with discontent at having been pushed back to their own home territory. Initial momentum from the preemptive strike on Heaven had long petered out, and with God seemingly more powerful than ever, not even the might of the Four Satans was enough to finish the conflict before He had been able to mount a counterattack. Unlike the Angels, all of the Devils that made up the majority of the faction's military were already assembled and combat ready. Their leaders were nowhere to be seen, though the ominous castle nearby left little doubt as to where the Satans were.

The last of the Three Factions, the Fallen Angels, wore grim expressions. The upcoming battle promised nothing but death and destruction no matter who won. They had long since given up hope of actually coming out of the war victorious due to the massive losses they had sustained thus far, and now only fought to minimize damage. In recent skirmishes, they would instantly retreat, the other two Factions' hatred towards each other allowing them to do so. When retreat was impossible, they often outright joined forces with the weaker side to ensure both came out too tired to wreak further havoc. Azazel was the only Faction leader on the soon-to-be battlefield, his presence attracting more attention than normal due to the man's tendency to avoid direct confrontation.

God Himself walked through the portal, His blinding Light scorching the eyes of the non-Angels that tried to behold Him. As if on cue, the Four Satans materialized outside their capital, wild energy crackling about their bodies in opposition to the Light wielded by their natural enemy. Five overpowering auras flowed over the gathered masses, soon joined by a sixth when Azazel stepped forward to add his to the fray, if for no other reason than to mitigate the effect on his men. Many of the Demons and Devils became visibly more agitated, while the Angels stood with their backs ramrod straight and their banners held high. The downtrodden Fallen mustered their resolve as well, weapons of light manifesting in their hands along with a variety of elemental magic.

The Governor General of the Fallen Angels grimaced at the scene. It would be a bloodbath. He was more convinced than ever that leaving behind the majority of his remaining forces had been a wise decision. The only Fallen standing with him were those that desired war until nothing was left, the opportunists that constantly hounded him to take advantage of whenever a side was left weakened by a recent defeat, not thinking about the consequences of being left alone against the stronger side that remained afterwards or deluding themselves into thinking the Fallen could prevail with their meager numbers.

Inwardly, he scoffed. No. Getting involved in the war had been a mistake from the start. Hadn't he been warned as much? If not for the Satans' blatant racism and God's unwillingness to compromise, his Faction would have been allied with another before it even began. Afterwards, the indiscriminate warfare had dragged his people into the conflict anyway despite his attempts to stay out of it. Azazel cursed his luck. There was one hope left. The Master of Death, the same entity that had warned him against participation in the Great War, had promised to interfere if certain conditions were met.

The Fallen Angel leader had done his best to satisfy them, and it all came down to the last one. Loss of life had to exceed a ridiculous threshold. At the war's beginning, the Fallen Angel leader hadn't imagined it would ever be possible, but here they were, at the cusp. There was no way of knowing for sure, but with the previous battle that eliminated the heads of several of the Pillar Clans and all of their armies, surely it had been surpassed by now. If only it hadn't taken so long to get to this point. If only it weren't necessary in the first place. But there was no use in thinking about what had already happened. It was time to see if the entity's word was worth anything.

At his side, his lieutenants stiffened. Azazel himself blinked and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"…Sir?"

"Tell everyone to keep their guards up. If anybody even tries to attack, restrain them. If they succeed, kill them immediately," Azazel ordered. "It'll be a mercy compared to what would happen otherwise."

He kept his gaze fixed on the singular black portal that had opened up in the middle of the plain, and the cloaked figure that floated out of it. After looking around slowly for a moment, the figure shrouded in darkness began to make its way towards Lucifaad, gliding with an unnatural amount of speed and grace. The crowd of demonic men and women quickly parted to allow it passage, unwilling to stand in the way of Death.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"The Master of Death approaches, sire," a male Devil reported.

His words caused a wave of unease to sweep through the other lieutenants, though their leaders did not seem to be affected. Despite their apprehension, none of the other Demons or Devils dared to make a sound. The Satan Lucifer grunted. The entity was unmistakable, and he had eyes. If not for the fact that doing so would lower morale at a time where they could ill afford to have such a thing occur, he would have incinerated the Devil on the spot.

"Let it come," he said. "We have nothing to fear so long as we have done it no wrong. And if it wishes to test its strength against mine… we shall see who the true master is."

"As you say."

As the Devil retreated, another of the Satans spoke.

"I wonder what business it has with us," the Satan Beelzebub said. "Do you suppose it cares about the outcome of the war?"

"Its concept governs all of creation. I doubt one war matters in the grand scheme of things," Lucifer responded drily.

Truthfully, he had no idea what he or anyone on the battlefield could have done to attract the attention of the primordial entity that suddenly appeared in the world a couple of centuries ago. The only interaction he had had with it was a singular warning to abandon his designs on the human world. It grated on him to obey, but Lucifer had reprioritized and focused on conquest of the Angels and Fallen Angels. It made no sense to anger that which you could not kill, and Heaven and the portion of the Underworld occupied by the Fallen would be enough to occupy his time for a few centuries, hopefully long enough to see Death gone from the world once more.

"It matters little," the Satan Asmodeus commented. "We're about to find out."

His words were prophetic as the last few lines of Devils parted to reveal the shadowy entity. The cold feeling radiating from it set the Satans on edge, though none would ever show weakness.

"Greetings, Master of Death. If you don't mind, we have a war to win, so why are you here?" Lucifer asked as menacingly as he could. It was well-known that the impartial nature of Death applied to its Master, so as long as he didn't directly threaten violence, the entity across from him would not respond. It was unfortunate for the Demon that he had already incited the entity to action.

The hood was drawn back far enough to reveal dull green eyes. The last thing Lucifer saw was a thin white stick pointed at him and his fellow Satans before a flash of green overtook his vision.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Angels were less outwardly nervous, but their field commander knew the inhuman entity that had just mysteriously appeared was never a good omen, especially right before any sort of conflict.

"Michael, the Master of Death has been sighted at the edge of the demonic formation! It appears to be conversing with their leader!" Metatron shouted. The recipient of his message frowned at the other man's lack of subtlety, even if the situation was clear as day. One of his fellow field commanders ascended from the ground when he heard the news, his twelve resplendent wings retracting when he reached their height.

"What? Impossible. What reason does it have to be here?" Uriel asked confusedly. When the Angel saw for himself the truth of Metatron's words, the Flame of God frowned severely, his Holy fire coming to life in his hands. A warning look from Michael was met with an equally defiant stare until the other Angel reluctantly backed down.

"Brother…" Michael turned to see his beloved sister having joined the small gathering of Heaven's most elite.

"Do not worry, Gabriel," he reassured her gently. "It is a neutral element. I can only imagine what drew it here from its dwelling on the isles…"

"Still, shouldn't Father be informed?"

"He likely already knows. But you are correct in that one can never be too sure. I will contact Him personally and ask for His guidance."

A massive flash of green light came from the gates of Lucifaad. He barely had enough time to look towards it before the presence of God filled his senses. He turned to his side and bowed his head respectfully.

"Order a full retreat."

The words shocked Michael into silence, but he recovered admirably and obeyed without question, signaling to the banner bearers and the other commanders. His gestures were viewed with disbelief by many, but when God Himself repeated the command in a booming voice, the Angels hastened to return from whence they came.

"Father, what are you-"

"Gather the Seraphim. We will confront Death together."

Michael could see movement from the Fallen as they advanced to attack the Demons and Devils, whose formation had descended into utter chaos.

"What shall you have us do?"

"Focus on the Fallen and the most powerful Demons, but leave their leaders alone. No matter what happens today, Michael, know that I am always with you."

"Father…?"

The ten Seraphs had gathered by now. God looked at each of them in turn.

"Hear me, for I decree as the Ruler of Heaven: none of you shall speak of the events of this day. Go now with my blessing. I will permit no further questions."

The strongest Angels immediately set off to fulfill their Father's wishes, many despite their will. Each had heard the tone in which He had delivered the order. It was a tone they were accustomed to hearing from those on their deathbed, and one as powerful and as healthy as God had no business using it. God closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"I leave the rest to you, my children."

Moments later, he too joined the fray.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Centuries later…**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A man in his twenties, with messy black hair and startlingly green eyes, stood up straight from his crouched-over position and surveyed his work. At his feet, an elaborate series of runic symbols encircling an equally elaborate crest lay drying. The bucket of liquid in the man's hands vanished without a sound, and a tired sigh escaped his lips.

 _This is it._

The last act. Waving his hands, the nondescript walls of the cave he stood in seemed to withdraw from him as the floor, and the circle drawn on it, expanded. The ceiling, already invisible in the darkness above the man's head, opened to reveal the starry sky.

 _This should be big enough. Demons tend to grow larger with power, and power tends to come with age._

The man tugged at his shimmering cloak subconsciously until the cloak itself seemed to flutter in response on his shoulders, almost as if in irritation. He gave it a brief look and a muttered apology before consulting the ancient grimoire next to him one last time. It was open to a page that displayed nothing but runes of a language long lost, but the man didn't seem to have trouble interpreting them.

"Bael. Famed for their Power of Destruction, capable of erasing things from the fabric of existence," he said, glancing at the cloak. Seeing no reaction, he shifted his gaze to the ring on his finger. The stone set in the ring bore a strange symbol of a circle within a triangle with a vertical line dividing the entire thing in half. Sensing no reaction there either, he reached out with his other hand and grasped empty space, only for a thin white stick of wood to appear when he brought his fingers together. The stick thrummed with silent anticipation. Centuries of reading the subtle signs offered by his sentient belongings recognized it as being a sign of eagerness, a challenge.

"Well, apparently Heaven wants nothing to do with me, so they can hardly blame me when I go ask Hell, right?" he asked with an amused smile. "I summon thee, Bael of the Underworld, greatest of the 72 Pillars of Hell!"

With that shout, the magic circle began glowing brightly. Power condensed around the man who stood at the mouth of the cave, swirling around him and flowing from his body. His cloak billowed out behind him, the stone in his ring started to glow as well, and the wand seemed to gather an equal amount of power to itself. There was a sound of glass shattering, of space bending and eventually breaking, then… nothing.

The man stood there, perplexed. His cloak fluttered in a nonexistent breeze then settled on his back as if deflating. The stone in his ring flashed continuously until he shot it an annoyed look. The stick gave off an air of profound disappointment as the power it had gathered dissipated back into its surroundings. The man looked between the grimoire and the large circle still inscribed on the ground.

"Runes, check. Crest, check. Materials, check," he muttered. "Time of day, check. Location, check. The ritual says 'a hundred mature souls,' but I can circumvent the power provided by those souls by just drawing on the power of the Deathly Hallows." His cloak resumed fluttering and puffed itself up. He smiled faintly, but soon resumed pondering the apparent failure of the summoning.

"Could it be… they were killed?" he wondered. It was not unheard of for a demon clan to be wiped out. Indeed, the nature of the constant power struggle in Hell made it quite likely. As he understood it, Hell went through its ruling class more often than wizarding Britain went through its Wizengamot seats during the Great War. That the death of someone on the Wizengamot was reported in papers almost weekly at the peak of the war said something about the state of affairs in the Underworld. Still, just as the Chief Warlock position was held by the same person throughout the War, ruling demon clans tended to hold their dominant positions as well. Just as he was about to try again, a small "ping" noise sounded in the empty air, accompanied by a soft female voice.

"We're sorry, but the Bael clan is not accepting new foreign contracts at this time. Additionally, please refrain from attempting to establish contact across regional territories. An official warning will be delivered to your summoning circle momentarily following the conclusion of this automated message. Please direct inquiries to the Satan Leviathan of Foreign Affairs. The price of summoning will now be refunded."

The man had all of a few seconds to stare in bemusement at the circle before a wave of power blew him backwards out of the cave and off the sheer cliff wall immediately outside. His descent into in the forest below was accompanied by irregular flashes from the stone on his ring and a string of curses shouted impotently into the night.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Approximately five minutes later, the man wrenched his ring off and threw it and the still flashing stone in a random direction, only to have the ring fly back towards him from an inky portal of darkness in the opposite direction and smack him in the head. He glared balefully at the flashing stone, which now seemed to be flashing even brighter and more often, and pointed the stick he somehow still held at it with the promise of violence in his eyes. At that, the stone immediately stopped flashing and the ring instead disappeared, reappearing around the ring finger on his right hand where it had resided before the man took it off. He gave it a single glance and sighed tiredly before looking up at the cave entrance over thirty meters above him. It was then that he caught sight of a scrap of paper floating down slowly in a perfectly straight line in defiance of the laws of conventional physics. Once he saw it, the paper accelerated its descent until it halted, floating in the air in front of his face.

"Attention contract seeker…" he began reading. There was a generic-sounding warning citing some really old and a couple slightly less old laws he didn't care about, so he skipped ahead to the end since it seemed as if there was no actual sanction or punishment the demons planned on imposing on him. "The territory of the Bael clan on Earth currently encompasses the towns of Kuoh, Akihabara, and Osaka in the country of Japan, as well as..." The list was mostly comprised of haphazard areas defined by sets of geographic coordinates. "Please refrain from crafting or using summoning circles outside of the immediate vicinity or boundaries of the territory listed above. Additionally, the Bael clan no longer holds active contracts. All current and prospective contract holders should contact the Gremory clan, based in Kuoh, Japan for service enquiries…" he read aloud. There was more on the small scrap of paper, but the rest wasn't important. There was a small note that due to his unwittingly having broken several laws, he was barred from summoning for the next twenty-four hours or else he would face whatever passed for law enforcement in Hell, but he didn't plan on living after the contract anyway, so what did he care?

 _Gremory?_ _Japan? Why Japan?_

His ring flashed.

 _Point. Why not? Okay._

With a thought, he transported himself across half the Pacific Ocean with a quiet _crack_. On the way, he felt himself break something resembling a ward scheme, albeit a very weak one. Appearing in the air above a fairly average-looking town, he used his senses to find the strongest magical focus point in the area and transported himself again to the airspace above that. Looking down, he saw a school built on top of the convergence point of the local ley lines.

 _Interesting._

Waving his hands with a little more energy, he then vanished from sight. Anyone who looked up or might have seen him also immediately forgot they did. For good measure, he motioned to throw on a hood, even though his cloak didn't have one, and then vanished from all the senses as well. With a snap of his fingers, a gigantic slab of rock, which was actually what used to be the floor of the cave he previously occupied, along with the ancient grimoire, appeared underneath him, still invisible to passersby. He then snapped his fingers and the circle activated again.

This time, the crest in the middle shifted slightly. The grimoire turned a few pages until it displayed details on a different clan, and the circle changed to fit the new crest. The man glanced down at the stone in his ring, which had flashed dully a couple of times.

"I was feeling theatrical and dramatic the first time. Now I just want to get it over with," he responded to the unasked question. The stone flashed and anyone nearby would swear they felt a sense of exasperation. The thin stick tucked behind the man's ear began exuding a powerful aura again, tinged with a slight bit of skepticism this time. The cloak, busy as it was keeping its wearer hidden, couldn't offer its own commentary, but a corner of it solidified temporarily and swatted the man over the head.

"Ow. Don't lie, you were into it too, Mr. Billows-without-wind." Ripples ran along the cloak even as it was wrapped around him. "Was not." More ripples. "That was uncalled for. You're indestructible. Wouldn't it make more sense if you were the one that felt less?" Ripples. "I warded the entire area for miles. There was no wind." A short ripple. "No, using power does not 'automatically make it windy.'"

Any further speech was cut off by a suffocating and chilling presence that began emanating from the spell circle. Moments later, the presence split into two distinct sources. The man's well-developed sense for magic told him that both were extremely powerful. The suffocating presence was most likely the one he sought, since it gave off the feeling of despair and nothingness. The more chilling one was literally causing him to feel cold, somehow piercing the ridiculously-powerful insulation charm woven into his cloak. Still, the man did not act particularly concerned, even when the chilling presence started to cause a dense mist to shroud his surroundings. He also heard faint voices that were steadily increasing in volume. He traced them to the two humanoid figures starting to form in the mist.

"…for twenty-four hours and tries to summon again not ten minutes later thousands of miles away!"

"…powerful… since when did you care?"

"…IN KUOH!"

The first voice was female. Relatively high-pitched, originating from the chilling presence.

The second was definitely male. The voice of an adult, carrying the weight of command.

The currently-invisible man tried using mage sight to properly discern the features of the two demons he figured he had summoned, but the mist must have been magical as well, since he could not see through it. The male's voice became clearer as the mist started to dissipate. As he stepped forward towards the edge of the summoning circle, the cloaked man could make out bright red hair and a sturdy frame. The demon looked human, if supernaturally handsome, and actually took on the appearance of a rather young man. He was swiftly followed by a black-haired girl with twin tails… wearing a uniform of some sort? She was significantly shorter than her companion, but her body was developed well beyond someone of her relative age.

 _A way to ensnare men of a particular persuasion, maybe?_

The demon in a man's body looked around puzzlingly.

"Huh. Someone, I assume the contractor, is here, but I can't tell where," he said while slowly turning around.

"I DON'T CARE. KEEP THE CRIMINAL AWAY FROM MY SO-CHAN!" the girl screamed hysterically. She also started waving around a magic wand-looking staff with a cartoonish star on the end. Despite its comical appearance, wherever she waved it, waves of power began to form ice crystals in the air. The male demon regarded her actions with a hint of amusement.

"Summoning their elder siblings seems contradictory to the goal of harming them," he remarked calmly. "They haven't even moved here yet." His slow survey of the surrounding area stopped, and he turned his body in the general direction of the cloaked man who had not moved from his spot. "Somewhere around there…?"

Perking up, the girl stopped wildly swinging her staff and pointed it slightly to the right of the invisible man.

"YOU! IN THE NAME OF MIRACLE LEVIA-TAN I SMITE YOU!" she shouted. With a particularly violent swing of her staff, the ice crystals all around the three converged on a single point. In the next instant, they all turned to fine dust as the cloaked man ran a hand through his perpetually messy black hair and waved the other nonchalantly. He then made as if to lower his hood, revealing himself to the two demons.

"Are you the most powerful demon of the Gremory clan?" he asked, addressing the male demon. Ignoring the female demon seemed to infuriate her all the more, to the quiet amusement of both other individuals.

"I am. My name is Sirzechs Gremory, although I now go by Sirzechs Lucifer, the Crimson Satan. This is Serafall Leviathan, formerly Serafall Sitri. Are you the contractor?" the demon, Sirzechs, asked, playing along.

"I am. Are you capable of utilizing the Power of Destruction?" the man fired back, pointedly ignoring the mounting fury of the female demon. Said demon had already begun forming an even larger collection of ice crystals all pointed in the man's direction.

"Yes. What do you need destroyed and what do you have to offer?" Sirzechs asked, eying the man with interest. It was not often that someone came along and poured enough power into a summoning to draw his attention. Also, this man continued to blatantly disregard Serafall as a threat. She wasn't anywhere near serious with her assaults, and the offense of violating a summoning ban for mistaken territorial trespass was ridiculously minor anyway, but the amount of power she was using wasn't insignificant.

"I have on me three artifacts. Promise to destroy them, and I will resurrect a person of your choosing."

The world paused. The ice crystals instantly broke apart. Sirzechs stopped breathing.

"Excuse me?" he choked out.

"Your world is constantly at war. Surely you have lost someone important. A military leader? A clan member? A friend? I will bring them back. If you fulfill the contract. I will even perform the resurrection in advance if you swear an oath of my choosing and form a contract with me," the man stated.

Sirzechs reevaluated the man standing before him. Something about the man's bright green eyes bothered him greatly. He was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes. Black hair, black glove on his left hand, black cloak. Black on black on black. He held a thin white stick in his gloved hand that Sirzechs could swear was not there a moment ago, and the ring finger of his right was adorned with a plain silver ring with a strange stone that almost called to the power inside his true form. Sirzechs released his control just enough to draw on his Super Devil form and compared it to the man standing before him. The man held considerable power, to be sure. But if he had to guess, Sirzechs would bet he was not more powerful than even Serafall. Perhaps on the level of… His face twisted into a mask of self-hatred for a moment before he schooled his features back into his neutral look. He noticed Serafall looked at him worryingly and he gave her a reassuring pat on the head that she didn't throw a tantrum over for once. Instead, she fingered the ring she wore on her left hand, matching the one on Sirzech's. With that, he turned his attention back to the man floating in the air before him, just off the rocky platform he and Serafall stood on.

How could he claim to be capable of bringing someone back from the dead? He did not have the aura of a necromancer. And the way he had said it, it didn't sound like a partial-resurrection or some kind of half-life. He said it as if he believed that death was reversible; a simple state of being. Moreover, what artifacts were worth such a feat?

"How?" Sirzechs asked warily. "Are you aware that breaching such a contract results in the forfeiture of your eternal soul?"

"Yes," the man replied simply. He did not say anything else, only extending his right hand for a traditional handshake. Sirzechs knew better. There was a distinct aura of magic about his outstretched hand. Shaking it would seal the deal. And he knew that the man knew he would recognize the significance of shaking hands.

"I need more information," Sirzechs said with a serious tone. "What are the artifacts? What limits are there on your abilities?"

The man withdrew his hand and instead indicated the ring he wore, along with the white stick, which Sirzechs presumed was a magical focus, a wand of some sort, and finally, the cloak on his back. "If they died an unnatural death, such as through combat or assassination, I can bring them back as they were immediately prior. Otherwise, I can reverse aging to an extent and force someone who died of old age to inhabit a younger body. I don't recommend this as it creates a disconnect between the mind and the body that is profoundly uncomfortable for the resurrected individual, but it can be done and the discomfort is ultimately temporary."

Sirzechs carefully regarded the three items the other man had indicated while also considering his words. Serafall sent another worried look at Sirzechs' back, for he had now stepped forward so that he was barely a meter away from the other man. The ring he could tell would be difficult, but not impossible to destroy. It merely held a similar essence to the Power of Destruction. If his powers failed, there were plenty of other ways to go about utterly erasing something from existence. Throw anything into the Dimensional Gap and it was guaranteed to be destroyed in short order. The trick was not being destroyed for opening a portal there. Surely Ajuka could find a way. The cloak actively fought his attention, his eyes seemingly sliding off it to focus elsewhere every time Sirzechs tried to look at it, so he decided to look at it last. Once he turned his attention to the wand however, he was hit with a sense of danger.

"That wand…" he whispered slowly.

The man raised a single eyebrow before looking down at the wand. It was once again exuding an air of anticipation, as if challenging Sirzechs to try destroying it. As far as he could tell though, his Power of Destruction could be boosted enough to destroy it. Perhaps with a few weeks or months of concentration, he could focus enough power to erase both it and the ring from existence. Once Sirzechs came to that conclusion, the wand pulsed once before becoming a seemingly regular wooden stick again. Sirzechs could swear he heard a pretentious "Hmph!" sound out from somewhere, but Serafall and the man holding the wand didn't react, so he chalked it up to his imagination. He then returned to trying to examine the man's cloak.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _Thoughts?_

Standing still for the benefit of his summoned demon, the man communicated with his belongings mentally. He got a sense of resigned defeat from the wand, the equivalent of a roll of the eyes from the stone, and a playful attitude from his cloak.

 _No go then, huh?_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After another half hour of silent examination, and utter failure to discern anything about the man's cloak, Sirzechs spoke.

"I may not be able to personally destroy your cloak, but I am confident there is a way. As for your ring and wand, give me a year, and I will have gathered enough power destroy them completely," he proclaimed.

The man looked surprised. "Really? How?"

"You did not tell me how you planned on fulfilling your part of the contract. Do not ask me how I plan on fulfilling mine. If either of us defaults where the other does not, we will pay dearly for it anyways," Sirzechs said with a wan smile. Behind him, Serafall adopted a conflicted look.

The man nodded slowly. "Very well. Know that if you fail, the resurrected soul will also vanish."

Sirzechs expression tightened further. "I am aware."

"Do you need the artifacts now? Or should I keep them and resummon you when you are ready?" the man asked. The stone in his ring flashed angrily a few times, but all parties present ignored it.

"It would be best if you held on to them. I will contact you when preparations are complete. I will also let you know when I have secured a method of destroying your cloak."

"Very well." The man held out his hand again.

Sirzechs looked at it for a moment, then back at Serafall's worried expression. She nodded once, and that was all he needed before extending his own hand for a firm handshake. The summoning circle flared and condensed itself, lifting off the rocky base and onto a piece of parchment that appeared in the air. The terms of the contract wrote themselves as the two men felt their respective magic becoming bound.

"I, Sirzechs Lucifer, so solemnly swear by the terms of this contract, I will destroy the three artifacts specified by my contractor…" Sirzechs glanced across at the man for a moment.

"Harry Potter," he offered.

"…Harry Potter, in the specified timeframe, or forfeit myself to his eternal service. So mote it be," Sirzechs finished.

"I, Harry Potter, so solemnly swear to abide by the terms of this contract and resurrect in full health a single individual of my contractor's choosing or forfeit myself to his eternal service. So mote it be," Harry said.

The oath sworn, the two of them separated and each claimed a copy of the contract, which had updated to show the spoken terms and then duplicated itself.

"I'll be waiting for your contact then," Harry said. "Who do you want resurrected?"

Sirzechs paused. "You should live somewhere nearby. I can arrange for you to live in Kuoh in the meantime."

"I suppose. Again, who?"

Sirzechs was silent for a few seconds. He felt a gentle tug on his arm and turned his head to see Serafall.

"It's okay," she said in a small voice. "We'll all be together again." Her face was blank, but Sirzechs could see the pain and conflict hidden in her eyes.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _He deserves it,_ Serafall thought to herself. She gave Sirzechs her best, most resolute look she could when he turned to face her, but even she could tell she failed miserably. Unable to maintain eye contact, she looked away and found herself gazing into the eyes of the mysterious stranger who walked into their lives. The blazing green eyes of the man who, in the span of one afternoon, could have possibly dashed all her dreams in one fell swoop. Hers was a gaze of hatred, for him and herself. His was a gaze of indifference. But there was something there. Some small emotion she couldn't quite make out. Something she didn't want to see, so she turned away again, and found herself looking back into Sirzechs' eyes. Eyes filled with a familiar sadness. Haunted. Eyes she couldn't bear to look into any more. She couldn't… She felt tears coming… She couldn't-

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

For Harry, seeing this level of emotion from beings supposedly dedicated to conflict in its bloodiest forms was a first, but not entirely unexpected. Being alive for centuries tends to condition one to surprises. Recently, he felt more and more apathetic as well. Everyone he once cared about, dead. All their children, also dead. Grandchildren, dead. Great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, great-however-many-times-grandchildren. All dead. He almost thought to thank Merlin when he first noticed the steady decline of magic. More people being born squibs. Less children being conceived in general. And now, he was the last. Still, there was something familiar in those purple eyes. Those eyes that gazed at him with such loathing. For a moment, he felt pity for the female demon glaring at him. Then she looked away and back at Sirzechs. Almost instantly, her expression switched to one of a sadness both wide and deep. Almost as if she wanted to cry. Then she turned away and vanished in a flash of blue light and Harry was left to wonder why, in that infinitely small moment, he saw hatred for Sirzechs as well.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sirzechs stared blankly at the place where Serafall vanished from.

 _Well, so much for that._

A polite cough reminded him that he was technically still working and he turned around to face the man that had brought him hope.

"Forgive my ignorance, but I was not aware demons such as yourselves were so… human," Harry spoke hesitantly.

Sirzechs barked out a laugh. Even to him it sounded sad and pathetic. "Yes, well… We are devils. The last demons died in the Great War." Recognition flashed in Harry's eyes, but it was gone so quick Sirzechs reasoned to himself he might have imagined it.

"I see," Harry said.

Sirzechs took a deep breath and looked Harry in the eyes, searching for any sign of deceit, any sign of another agenda. All he found was exhaustion. A deep-seated exhaustion.

"How long must you have lived, to be so tired?" he asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

"Long enough to remember your predecessor," Harry responded. "Too long."

Sirzechs expression shifted to one of shock before quickly reverting to calm and collected. "I will arrange for your housing immediately." He gestured to an empty lot in the distance that glowed with a light only the two of them could see. "There will be a modest house erected there by tonight."

Harry looked at the sun, which was already over their heads. "Impressive."

Sirzechs just nodded appreciatively. Closed his eyes. Waited for the question one last time.

And then it was asked. "Who do you want me to bring back to life?"

Eyes open. Back straight. Voice… almost pleading.

"Grayfia Lucifuge."

* * *

A/N: Additional story details and our update schedule can be found on my profile.

We are two people writing fanfiction. The main idea of the fic is my partner's, and this Prologue was written by us both.

In the next chapter, Harry saves a bunch of lives and really gets the plot rolling!


	2. IN2of3 Ch0 - Countdown

**Chapter 0 – Countdown**

 **(Introduction Arc, Part Two of Three)**

* * *

Harry suppressed his emotions upon seeing Serafall with the ease and expertise of one who was long accustomed to doing so. From his concealed position, he watched the magical girl Satan throw a tantrum as she failed to pinpoint where he was hidden. His memories were a little spotty, but that was only to be expected. The only reason he hadn't recognized her instantly was due to how much more powerful she was than when he last encountered her, as well as Sirzechs' presence messing with his senses.

After her barrage of icicles missed, he decided he had observed for long enough. As unexpected as their early meeting was, he could still work with this. With a practiced motion, he revealed himself to the two Devils.

The following conversation was more of a formality than anything else. He would be pleasantly surprised if the other man had somehow grown strong enough to damage the Deathly Hallows, but the odds were definitely not in his favor. He snuck looks at Serafall as she slowly grew angrier and angrier at being left out. Soon, it came time for him to make his offer.

"I have on me three artifacts. Promise to destroy them, and I will resurrect a person of your choosing."

There. Now all Sirzechs had to do was accept and say her name. He answered the man's questions patiently and waited for the inevitable. The brief thought he directed at his Hallows resulted in a confirmation of his suspicions. The Super Devil would not succeed in his endeavor. That was okay. Contracts were simple things to manipulate if you knew how, and the art of manipulating them was considered a lost magic at this point since, to the rest of the world, wizards had technically never existed.

His warning in response to Sirzechs' similar warning about the consequences of failing the contract was received about as well as expected. Then came time for the actual contract. He introduced himself when prompted and asked for the Devil's chosen target of resurrection.

 _Say her name._

To his frustration, the redhead danced around the issue. He tried again, giving an offhand reply to the Devil's offer of housing. He had a near limitless supply of funds, and even if he didn't magic solved a lot of things, shelter included.

 _Say it._

Harry was distracted by the look of sorrow on Serafall's face. Then he saw the ring on her finger and blinked. When had the two of them gotten engaged? Was she actually attracted to him, or was this because the man's wife hadn't survived the war? He shook himself from his thoughts. What did he care? Out of curiosity, he peered into her soul and found the reason for her hatred.

There was jealousy there, but only towards the woman about to be brought back to life. She wanted the same sort of love and devotion to be directed at her.

 _In another life, I…_

The thought was ruthlessly crushed. Down that way lie regret, heartache, and doubt. All things Harry could ill afford to be plagued with at this time. Looking once more at the departing Devil, he saw a new emotion. Hatred. For him, but also for the man standing next to him. Misplaced hatred. It wasn't Sirzechs' fault. It was his. Everything was his fault. But that's why he was here. To make it all right again. He wondered what else she could possibly hate her fellow Satan for, but his searching gaze was interrupted by a flash of blue light.

As Serafall vanished, Harry turned back towards Sirzechs. The Crimson Satan was staring ruefully at the place where she'd been standing moments ago. A polite cough was enough to get the conversation started again. Not that it was much of one. The small talk petered out within a few sentences, though the death of all remaining Demons was nice to have tentative confirmation of. He'd see for himself once he was allowed access to the Underworld. Eventually, his patience ran short.

"Who do you want me to bring back to life?"

Sirzechs straightened his posture. This was it.

"Grayfia Lucifuge."

 _And that's six. Halfway done._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry let out a sigh as he withdrew from the white-haired girl's soulscape. H examined her critically, looking for any signs of negative side effects. He found none. She was stable. His work was finished… for now.

"So she convinced you to let her help after all."

He turned around to see a young woman standing in the doorway. A two-forked tail waved around in the air behind her, the snow-white fur on it and her two cat ears matching the color her hair. She wore a kimono as she always did within her home, its floral pattern adding to her elegant demeanor. Though she hid it well, Harry could see the signs of exhaustion on her features, and his special mage sight showed him that the woman's magical reserves were almost empty.

"Lady Magari," he greeted. "As you can see, she is perfectly healthy. You should get some rest as well. Sealing him away has drained you significantly."

"I am well aware of my own limits, Harry-san," the woman responded with a tired smile. It changed into a thoughtful look for a second before morphing into a more mischievous and teasing expression. "It may interest you to know that she has bonded with you."

"Please don't joke around. She's in no condition to be doing anything, much less making decisions about… that."

Magari shrugged and walked over to the other side of the bed. When she got close enough, one hand reached out and stroked the sleeping girl's cheek softly.

"I know not what you are planning," she began neutrally, "but I trust in young Shiro's judgment. She always was a good judge of character." Her hand paused. "That being said, know that if you do anything to hurt her, we will stop at nothing to hunt you down, regardless of who you are."

"I would never do such a thing. You have nothing to worry about."

"I wonder… Your people have a saying about 'the road to Hell' that comes to mind."

"I'm not sure how appropriate that is since I've been to Hell and back multiple times at this point."

She giggled.

"Yes, well. I have no doubt the message is not lost on you."

They stood in silence for a moment as Magari resumed her ministrations. Harry made to leave, but was stopped by her voice.

"As long as you continue to help them, you may rely on our support."

"The offer is appreciated, but I mean no offense when I say that none of you can help me directly. Just keep up relations with the Devils. That's all I ask."

"Is it because they are Nekoshou?" she pressed. "Or is it because your soul calls to them?"

The wizard inhaled sharply.

"You…"

"I cannot hear its cry, but they told me they could. I do not understand, but the soul does not lie. If you told me more, I would be more than willing to help."

Harry frowned, debating his next course of action. Magari took his hesitation as a sign to continue speaking.

"It does not have to be me. Or even us. You have other allies. Friends. The burden you carry is too heavy for one person."

"…Thank you for your concern, Lady Magari. But, I'm afraid this is something I brought upon myself. If you'll excuse me, I have to go and pick up her sister now."

In the end, he trusted the Nekomata elder to keep the secret. Even if she leaked it, nobody would know what to do with the information, nor would anyone be able to act on it. He was the last of his kind. His sudden departure cut off what the young-looking woman was about to say. He would apologize to her next time.

Thousands of miles away, another Harry idly twirled one of his modified Evil Pieces in his hand. The Devils he was with watched him with some apprehension. It was to be expected, since he was the only unknown entity on the search party. Add to that the aura of sheer power he was exuding, and he made for quite an intimidating figure in his hooded cloak.

"So what's your story?" one of them asked.

"None of your business," he replied harshly, putting the Piece away. She was here. The male Devil flinched, but soon turned a shade redder as his indignation overrode his self-preservation instinct.

"You think you can talk that way to me?!"

"I'll talk however I want. If you don't stop talking and alert our target, I'll be happy to silence you." His menacing tone was made more threatening by the veil of darkness that obscured his features and the red glow of his eyes from within his hood. The Pureblood Devil he addressed nearly bit his tongue when one of his fellows clamped a hand over his mouth.

"He's right. We're close. Save it for later," the other Devil said.

"How do we know this guy is even supposed to be here? He just showed up!" the original Devil hissed.

"He's got the official seal. Nobody's dumb enough to forge the Crimson Satan's seal."

"Hmph. Everyone knows the Crimson Satan's too soft to actually go after- Grk."

The Devil collapsed to the ground, dead. The others stared at the corpse uncomprehendingly. Harry silently admired the clean cut across the man's neck. A moment later, he nimbly avoided the same fate by redirecting the invisible blade of magical energy at another of his supposed allies, causing it to cut deeply into the taller man's chest.

"Gah! I've been hit!"

"She's here! Find her!"

"I don't see her!"

"Where is she? Where is she?!"

One by one, the Pureblood Devils panicked at the attacks from their unseen assailant. Meanwhile, Harry melted into the shadows as well and began to help out with the execution of the search party. He could sense confusion from both their victims and the one he was helping, but he paid it no mind as he went about his grisly task.

By now, the more conditioned members of the twenty-strong group had created some semblance of a defense, a hastily-constructed spherical barrier that shielded the surviving Devils from the more lethal attacks that the female of the invisible duo could produce. Harry was not at all stopped by such shoddy spellwork and dismantled it on the spot, exacerbating the panic the Devils felt. Building one of his own barriers in its place, the men it encompassed looked at it with a mixture of confusion and relief. Each thought that someone else in the group had made it. They didn't know that their enemies were also inside. This fact was made evident when people began dying again, and the barrier soon became a prison that prevented their escape.

Less than half an hour later, the last of the Devils finally expired. Harry let out a short sigh at the loss of life. Even if they all deserved it, it didn't make him happy to do it. He removed his disguise and his cloak and turned towards the only other living being left in the relatively narrow alley. He found a pointed claw at his throat.

"Why shouldn't I kill you?"

"That expression doesn't suit you, Kuro. _Stupefy._ "

The teenage girl's surprise at her name being uttered from behind her was her undoing as her consciousness faded away. The two Harrys looked at each other and nodded in satisfaction. Mission accomplished.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"…A vampire?"

"A Dhampir," Sirzechs corrected.

"You want me to heal a vampire?"

"A _Dhampir_."

Harry examined the effeminate boy cowering by the bed. On it was his childhood friend, who could have been mistaken for being asleep if not for the massive wound in her chest. A pale blue glow signifying the use of a magical stasis spell explained why blood hadn't soaked through the sheets yet.

"Why were you waiting for me to get back?"

"Well, she's a special case. I thought you might be able to use it to your advantage, Master."

"Don't call me that," Harry fired off on reflex. "Special how?"

The young woman lying on the bed was a shining example of beauty, her light blonde hair framing a face that looked like it belonged to an Angel rather than a supposed denizen of the darkness. Harry idly reminded himself that Dhampirs could walk in the light of the sun with little issues, so it was somewhat inaccurate to call them denizens of darkness. This sidebar thought immediately sparked a mental debate over what the correct term for them was, but he caught himself before it could distract him too much.

"How familiar are you with the vampire hierarchy?"

"So she is a vampire."

Sirzechs deadpanned at him.

"Sorry. I don't really. Unless it hasn't changed in the past couple of centuries."

"There's a good chance it hasn't."

"Tepes and Carmilla?"

The Crimson Satan was unsurprised at the wizard's knowledge and nodded in confirmation. It wasn't the first time Harry had demonstrated familiarity with topics beyond those he should have been acquainted with, the division between Demon and Devil, the different inhabitants of the Underworld, and the inner workings of Heaven being just a few examples. The childlike male Dhampir stopped quivering in fear for a brief moment when he heard the names of his race's dominant factions. He resumed once Harry looked in his direction.

"Okay. So how is she special?"

"She's the leader of the Tepes Faction."

"…Aren't they the male faction?"

"The male-dominated one, yes."

Harry looked at Sirzechs with one eyebrow raised, silently asking for an explanation.

"I don't know. You'd have to ask them. Or Gasper over there."

The Dhampir's trembling redoubled when attention was focused on him. All of a sudden, a reddish aura expanded from the boy and the world ground to a halt. Harry's eyes widened as he recognized the signs of temporal manipulation. He was protected from its effects, but Sirzechs was completely frozen. The Satan's magical energy was already working to free him, but for the man to be trapped, even for a few seconds, was a noteworthy feat that could only be explained by one thing.

Harry peered into the young Dhampir's soul and found was he was looking for: a Sacred Gear, one that controlled the flow of time to an extent. During his search, he came upon another shocking discovery. The Dhampir wasn't the only Sacred Gear host in the room. Harry blinked as he stared incredulously at the woman. He knew he'd always been lucky in the strangest of ways, but what kind of luck was this, to have one of the three Sacred Gears he was searching for essentially dropped into his lap?

Sirzechs shook himself as he broke free from the effects of the Gasper's Sacred Gear and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that. Usually I'd have broken free instantly. I'm just a little tired today, I guess."

A quiet thud sounded from beside the bed. Satan and wizard turned and saw Gasper's unconscious form on the soft, carpeted floor.

"Damn. That's like the seventh time he's done that. I keep telling him not to overexert himself. Anyway, like I was saying-"

"I'll do it."

"She's the- Wait, what?"

"I'll do it. Leave it to me."

"Uh. Okay. Sure. Great! Um. I'll just… be going, then?"

Harry wasn't even paying attention to the Devil anymore, too focused on the best method of getting his desired outcome from the healing process. His hands were covered with a green glow as he stepped up to the side of the bed. He didn't notice when Sirzechs picked up Gasper in one arm and crafted a teleportation circle.

"When you're done, you know how to contact me!" the Devil said cheerfully before vanishing.

His parting words were ignored as Harry finished his diagnosis. The stasis spell was adjusted, allowing him to begin work on the actual injury. It took him less than five minutes to heal most of the physical damage, but while he was working, his soul sight revealed a much deeper issue. The poor woman's soul was fractured. More than that, it was on the verge of total collapse, and the cause was the very thing he needed to somehow gain access to.

Carefully considering his options, Harry went with the safest one and set about slowly repairing the cracks and reassembling the metaphorical pieces. Even with his skill, he could tell it would be hours before he made any significant progress, much less finished. He frowned, but persisted in his task. To his dismay, one of the cracks he had just sewn up reappeared moments later. Her Sacred Gear was too powerful for her soul to handle. If he could take it from her, he would, but with the Deathly Hallows already bound to him, no Sacred Gear would ever do the same, and the nature of this particular Sacred Gear was such that it would not sever its ties with its previous host until it found a new one. Harry didn't have any likely candidates in mind, and anyone other than him would not be able to safely inherit it anyway.

 _Nothing for it, then._

He had intended to do this from the beginning. It would just have to happen in reverse this time around. Without hesitation, Harry reached into himself.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The unopened letter, bearing a solid black seal of a stylized scythe over a hooded cloak, was dropped onto the table as Harry strained his ears. A cacophony of voices called out to him, but he could barely hear them. He rose from his desk in the newly-built Kuoh Academy and made his way to the window. When he got to it, he continued walking until he had passed through the wall and was standing on a platform of air. The voices were a very tiny bit louder, but he still couldn't make out anything they were saying.

Not one to give up and definitely not one to ignore strange voices calling out to him, Harry enhanced his hearing, only to find that it did nothing. It was then that the wizard realized the voices were not calling to his physical senses. The cloak on his shoulders rippled in response to his mental command. Almost immediately, he felt his perception shift as, all of a sudden, the sounds of nature became inaudible. Instead, he could clearly hear the voices of maybe a hundred children. He couldn't make out any words, but he could tell where they were coming from.

Harry transported himself across dimensions and ended up in one of the many mansions owned by the Gremory Clan, outside a familiar waiting room. Every time he had entered this particular room, the heiress of the family had gained a Peerage member. He had a sneaking suspicion today would be no different. He knocked politely.

The door opened to reveal the crying face of one Rias Gremory, though her expression noticeably brightened when she saw who was on the other side.

"See?! I told you he'd come!"

"How in the world…? Never mind."

Harry smirked at Sirzechs as the other man pinched the bridge of his nose. He gave the budding teenage girl in front of him a reassuring pat on the head and entered the room, his eyes homing in on the multitude of souls floating around the unmoving body of one very injured blond boy lying on the bed. A girl with long black hair stood next to him, her brows furrowed in concentration as she maintained some sort of diagnostic spell. She didn't notice his entry.

"I'm sorry, Rias. I can't tell why he's giving off such weird readings. It's like he's a Holy Sword himself or something."

Akeno Himejima looked to her side only to blink in confusion when she didn't see the redhead she expected to.

"Look, Akeno! Harry-ojisan's here!"

She blinked again when she saw the man walking up to her. After a couple of seconds, she let out a cute little yelp and hurriedly smoothed down the nonexistent creases in her clothing and curtsied at him as best she could with the short dress she was wearing. Harry waved her off easily and gave her a pat on the head as well, making the much shorter girl pout.

"Why are you here, Harry-sama?"

"Why else? I'm here to help…" He paused as one of the souls told him the boy's name. "Isaiah."

"Isaiah? Is that his name?" Rias asked curiously.

"You don't know his name? Where did you find him?"

"Can you heal him?" the redhead begged, ignoring his questions.

Harry sighed inwardly. He wouldn't be getting anything out of the overly concerned girl. He turned his attention back to the boy on the bed. Breathing, shallow. Signs of lung damage and extensive frostbite, though that didn't fully explain why his heartbeat was so erratic.

"Sirzechs?"

"Probably neurotoxin," the Satan answered, knowing what the other man was asking. "We found him collapsed in the middle of a forest. Well, Rias did."

"I see." Harry's gaze was focused on things the others couldn't see. The boy's soul was also damaged, but it wasn't by any fault of his Sacred Gear this time. It looked almost self-inflicted.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll see what I can do."

Rias bounced up and down happily, her brother nodding as if it was only to be expected. Akeno tilted her head, but soon giggled and curtsied again before excusing herself. She was followed by her best friend. Sirzechs stayed behind.

"Something I should know?"

"The investigation's premature, but we got a message from Heaven."

Harry waited for the Satan to elaborate, busying himself with more diagnostics.

"He was part of something called the Holy Sword Project."

The Holy Sword Project… why did that sound familiar? It wasn't something he had been involved in back when he worked for the ICW, but then again, he was only a diplomat to the Devils. Still, the name rang a bell. Maybe another of the diplomats had mentioned it. Heaven was the most isolated of the Three Factions even back then, so it wasn't unlikely that the Church would have been successful in actually hiding some sort of secret project involving Holy Swords.

"Tell me when you've got something," Harry said. "I don't know anything about it."

"Will do, though that just makes me more worried."

Sirzechs left the room to join his beloved little sister elsewhere in the manor. After making sure he was alone, in a way, Harry turned to the other occupants of the room. The souls bobbed up and down at his attention. Only one was in human shape though. A little girl with white hair styled into twin tails. The ghostlike quality of being a disembodied soul only added to her overall pale skin tone and general white color scheme, her torn dress and worn-down shoes the same color as her hair.

"And you are?"

"Tosca, Master."

Knowing it was useless to ask any soul not to call him by his title, Harry suppressed his reflexive response.

"What can you tell me about Isaiah?"

"I… can't tell you much, Master. I don't know what he did."

Harry regarded the girl thoughtfully.

"You have a request to make of me. I already intend on healing him."

"You… you're like him."

"No. It may look like it, but I am the way I am by choice. It is beneficial to me."

"Can he do it?"

"No, only I could do this safely."

"Oh."

They were silent for a moment. Harry was about to return to healing the boy, but was interrupted again by Tosca.

"Can I help?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't need help with healing."

"Not that. Can I help you?"

He paused.

"I think I know what you're doing," the girl said. "Isaiah… he can't help you since he's so broken. And the others aren't enough. But I am. I can help."

"Tosca, I appreciate the thought, but I wouldn't want to put you through that," Harry replied. "If you're offering this as some sort of payment, don't worry about it."

"I want to help! It's not right that you're doing this on your own!"

The wizard looked at the little girl incredulously. His soul sight told him all he needed to know. Somehow, she had figured it all out, or most of it at least. Within seconds, if that. Never before had he been taken off-guard so much by someone so young. Regardless, he refused to place such a burden on her, even more so considering she was already dead.

"I appreciate the sentiment, I really do. But, I can't. No, I won't. Thank you, but I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," he said with a smile. "Actually, I have a better idea."

Tosca tilted her head in curiosity.

"How would you like to help heal your friend?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The damage was bad. Scratch that, it was worse than bad. Harry had no idea how the dark-haired girl in front of him was still breathing, much less how her soul had survived whatever it had been subjected to during her captivity. Beside the unmoving form of Akeno Himejima, MacGregor Mathers could be seen writhing around on the ground, clawing at his chest. The man's body was a far cry better than the mangled state it had been found in earlier, but Harry's healing of his physical injuries unfortunately did not carry over to the damage done to his bonded Piece and the corresponding master-servant bond with Sirzechs. The Crimson Satan stood nearby, helping his wife comfort his distraught little sister, who had recently emptied the contents of her stomach in a corner.

"I'm going to need Ajuka for this," Harry stated grimly.

"He's already on his way."

"Good." He put Akeno in stasis, noting that that it failed to stop the deterioration of her soul. At the rate it was degrading, she would be beyond help within the hour, even for someone like him. Still, he had to prioritize. "They both need new Pieces."

"Ajuka's bringing his set. They're the same type as mine, but Akeno…"

"He still carries around the prototype Pieces, right?"

"You aren't thinking of having Rias bond to the Queen, are you? She won't survive! Neither of them will!"

"I'll handle it."

Sirzechs grit his teeth. He trusted the other man implicitly, but at the same time, his own, admittedly rather lackluster, knowledge about the nature of the Evil Pieces told him that such a course of action would only end with his beloved little sister's death.

"Master, isn't there another way?"

"I've never seen this before. There's a chance it'll spread across the bond and affect Rias anyway."

"What?!"

Harry beckoned the Satan over. After making sure his sister was okay, the other man nodded to his wife and quickly made his way over to him.

"Don't worry, Sirzechs," he said once they were standing next to each other, "Have I ever failed you before?"

"That was then! This is different!" Sirzechs hissed back.

"Listen. Akeno's dead inside of maybe half an hour. Stasis is useless." The Satan's eyes widened before narrowing dangerously. "They're all dead. Stop thinking about them."

Sirzechs frowned at having his mind read.

"For now, I need you to extract the Bishop Pieces from inside of MacGregor and sever your bonds to them. I'll keep him stable, so just worry about yourself."

As the Satan opened his mouth to argue, Harry cut him off.

"I won't let anyone die that doesn't deserve to," the wizard promised. "But if we don't get moving, there's a chance he could be affected as well. Permanently."

"Tsk. I got it. But I swear on everything, Master…"

"Can't even get you to stop calling me that in the middle of a crisis, can I?"

"Harry!"

"There you go. Now hurry up and get started."

A flash of green light signaled the arrival of Ajuka Beelzebub, Satan of Technology. His slicked-back green hair was in disarray and his chest was even more exposed than usual as his cloak sat crooked on his shoulders. The man clutched a small wooden box under one arm and another, much larger box under the other.

"Ajuka! Get over here!"

At Harry's urgent call, the Devil dashed over and handed the smaller box to Sirzechs. The Crimson Satan opened it and found a complete set of white and blue chess Pieces within. Pulling the two Bishops from their places, he tossed the box aside, drawing an annoyed frown from its owner.

"What's the situation?" Ajuka asked. He watched his best friend and fellow Satan place his hand on the fallen Magician's chest. "Wait, Sirzechs. That's not a good idea-"

"It's our only option. I'll explain later," Harry interjected. He turned to Sirzechs. "Do it now."

A bright red glow emanated from the magic circle bearing the crests of both the Gremory and Lucifer families. Both Sirzechs and Harry grunted with exertion as the Pieces already bonded to MacGregor fought against the process. Ajuka set the larger wooden container on the ground and straightened his cloak, watching with curiosity and some trepidation as two cracked and broken chess pieces rose from the thrashing man's torso. As soon as they were completely separated from the man, Harry snatched them. They broke apart in his hands, to the surprise of everyone present.

"Later," Harry said, recovering from his shock. "Sirzechs."

"Got it."

The Crimson Satan ignored the pain as he claimed ownership of Ajuka's Bishops. Their former owner helped by severing his own bond to the Pieces, but that didn't completely remove his old magical signature from within. Five excruciatingly long seconds later, it was done. Sirzechs wasted no time in lowering the new chess pieces to MacGregor's chest, the man himself having ceased moving when his Pieces were extracted. After they were implanted, everyone waited for any sign of life.

"He's breathing."

MacGregor's chest slowly rose and fell in a steady rhythm. The two male Devils present let out a sigh of relief.

"Ajuka. I need the Proto-Queen."

Harry's words caused them to stop short.

"Why? Can't you do the same thing with Akeno?" Ajuka asked.

By now, Rias, accompanied by Grayfia, had made their way over.

"I'll do it!" the teenage girl asserted confidently. "I'll do whatever it takes!"

"If Rias tries to sever her bond with her most powerful Piece, it'll kill Akeno. If she tries to bond with a new one, it'll kill her," Harry stated simply.

"What? But why?" Ajuka questioned. The girl currently held in stasis looked fine, if not for the fact that she was surrounded by a soft blue glow. He could sense her Piece was damaged. Also, there was some sort of foreign energy present in her body.

"We don't have time to go over specifics. Akeno's in much worse shape than MacGregor was. His condition was caused by the aftermath of hers."

"But…" Sirzechs started.

"I see."

"Ajuka!"

"Harry knows much more than we do about how the soul works, Sirzechs. And it makes sense that the Prototype Queen would be less dangerous to bond with, given her youth."

The Satan of Technology held his hand out and soon enough, a regular white Queen materialized in it. He handed it to Harry, who turned towards Rias. As he was about to move towards her, he found his way barred.

"Sirzechs, we don't have time for this."

"It's not that. I've entrusted you with my life," the Crimson Satan said. His tone was gravely serious. "I've entrusted you with the life of my love. I've entrusted you with the life of my best friend. I've entrusted you with the lives of many of my people." Harry met the man's stare unflinchingly. "Now… now, I entrust you with the life of one of my remaining family. Don't let this be the time that I regret my decision."

"I won't," the wizard answered resolutely. Sirzechs nodded once and stepped aside. Behind him, Rias stood, her own face set in an expression of determination.

"What do I need to do?"

"Listen carefully and follow my directions exactly."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry disentangled himself from Serafall's embrace carefully so as to not wake his sleeping fiancé. As he made his way over to the door, he nearly tripped over a piece of his discarded armor. Cursing inwardly, he soundlessly teleported out of the room, berating himself for not doing that in the first place.

Today was an important day. Today was when it all began, so long ago. Starting today, he would be wading into the unknown. Then again, it wasn't as if history wasn't already irrevocably changed with the things he'd been up to. At least he was sure that Rias appreciated all the additions to her Peerage. He wondered if she had the same members as before.

His fiancé had loudly complained about how he was favoring her over his own future sister-in-law, but Sona had always been too headstrong to accept help. It was a small miracle he had been able to sneak the new boy, Saji, past her screenings. Now if only she'd noticed the _other_ Sacred Gear user he kept thrusting under her nose. Well, it was too late now. Her childhood rival was going to make her move any day now.

Yes. Any day now. Harry stood in the middle of a cavernous chamber, the same one he had used to summon Sirzechs years earlier. No use in finding another place for his giant ritual magic circle when he already had one conveniently available, after all. Unlike before, he carried none of the Deathly Hallows with him. Instead, an assortment of other objects floated in the air, orbiting him in lazy circles. Some were no more than ghostly projections, but all had an otherworldly quality to them.

Two ornate hourglasses on a gold chain necklaces, a cup, a bracelet, a white and blue chess King, an all-white Queen, a ring, a spear, a pair of glasses, a scythe, a cross, and last but not least, two vials, one full of some silvery essence and the other empty. The hourglass on a necklace around his own neck glowed from within his shirt.

He was short one for his plans, represented by the empty vial. With any luck, whatever Rias had planned for the wielder of the Boosted Gear would help with that. Her potential Peerage members did have a tendency to serve his purposes rather well.

Harry closed his eyes and let his power flow freely, activating the latent spell he'd cast here centuries earlier. It only took a moment of concentration. A million thoughts and alternatives raced through his mind, but he dismissed each and every single one. This was what needed to be done, no matter what anyone said otherwise. If he survived the End a second time, all the better. But, he refused to let the success of his plans hinge on such a thing. The fate of the world literally hung in the balance.

He recalled fragments of memories from the past, both distant and not. Through the empty void of Obliviation, he somehow still retained these pieces of himself, these otherwise irrelevant portions of times long before. He remembered his second daughter. He remembered his fifth twenty-first birthday. He remembered the ninth time he attended his own funeral.

He remembered his only friend to have weathered the centuries with him. Idly, he wondered where the strange entity was now. The other man still had something of his that he would prefer to have back.

The spell completed its task. The irony of him using a modified version of the very thing that had trapped him before did not escape the wizard.

"There. Now our days are truly numbered."

The hourglass around his neck seemingly flashed in acknowledgement, before dimming.

Harry felt the breeze from the outside ruffle his hair slightly. With a thought, the various objects surrounding him were transported elsewhere, the projections fading away into nothingness. There was no room for error, not that such a thing was really possible with what he had in mind. However, the wizard didn't let himself relax. Contract or no, artifacts or no… magic or no, he would succeed one way or another. The only difference between his mindset now and his mindset a decade earlier was that death was no longer a certainty.

He had people to live for. Someone to live for. She was waiting for him back in their shared bedroom.

Sighing heavily, Harry prepared to teleport himself back. Hopefully, Serafall was still asleep. He didn't need her asking even more questions, and he had to get up in a couple of hours to go to his job. In the brief instant before his spell transported him away, he lamented his little sister-in-law's rigid adherence to rules in general. The Student Council governed most of the affairs of Kuoh Academy and the school itself was basically self-sufficient in terms of funding, so why was he even required to attend?

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

This chapter is meant to be extremely disjointed. It foreshadows many future events throughout the story as well as most of the major plot points. All events happen in chronological order, and the exact amount of time that passes in between them is irrelevant.

In the next chapter, the regular members of the DxD cast make their appearance and Harry teaches a class!


	3. IN3of3 Ch1 - Twelve

**Chapter 1 – Twelve**

 **(Introduction Arc, Part Three of Three)**

* * *

" _Excuse me? You wouldn't happen to have seen a young boy around here, would you? He's about this tall with black hair and green eyes. His name is-"_

" _Harry, right?"_

" _O-oh. Yes. That's him. Are you a friend of his? Do you know where he went?"_

" _You could call me a family friend, yes. He should be at Quidditch practice right now. The pitch is a few blocks that way."_

" _Thank you! I was so worried when he dashed off as soon as class ended. He even left this! Oh, by the way, what's your name? I'm Hermione, pleased to meet you."_

" _My name is…"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **One year after the summoning**

"…Harry Potter. It's been a year. The time has come for me to fulfill my end of the contract."

Sirzechs Lucifer spoke solemnly, his form wavering slightly as it shifted to black and red. The Crimson Satan stood across from Harry Potter in the middle of a large, empty, and most importantly, completely barren wasteland in the Underworld. There was no other life around for miles.

"Understood. Here," the wizard said as he presented the Elder Wand.

Harry smiled when he got a mental message that was the equivalent of _Let's get this over with_. The redheaded man, whose form had almost completely changed by now, didn't notice, too busy focusing on containing the rush of his own power as he gathered it into several small spheres. Harry's cloak rippled as it sat on his back.

"Oh, don't be like that, old friend. We'll see each other again soon enough. What's another couple of centuries?" he asked it.

The Satan took the Elder Wand in hand, cradling it gently. The innocuous-looking wooden stick began to glow.

"I'll be fine," Harry insisted. "If anything happens, that just means I get to see you all again that much sooner."

His cloak did not appreciate him talking that way, and swatted him over the head. His ring, or more accurately the stone in it, was equally unamused by his morbid sense of humor and, in a rare display of its own power, made his arm snap backwards. Sirzechs was treated to the sight of Harry Potter, last wizard alive, ducking a punch from himself.

"Woah! Alright, alright! I'll be careful!"

 **"I don't think I've ever seen someone get attacked by their own jewelry before, but now I can say that I have."**

The other man froze when he heard the distorted voice of the Crimson Satan in his true form, as if remembering the reason why the two of them were there in the first place. He blushed slightly and cleared his throat. Then, he directed his gaze towards what he perceived as the source of his embarrassment.

"…It might take me the better half of a millennium, but I _will_ get you for that," Harry swore lowly. He glared balefully at the grey band on his right ring finger.

 **"And now I've seen someone swear vengeance against said jewelry. Does that mean I've, as they say, 'seen it all?'"**

"…Please get on with it."

The Satan's teasing expression turned serious again.

 **"…Alright."**

The spheres began gathering around him as he rose into the air, his Aura of Destruction raging around him. The ground beneath the two of them crumbled away as well, so Harry was forced to use levitation magic on himself to stay close. Sirzechs threw the Elder Wand above him, sending the all of the spheres shooting at it.

 **"Ruin The-!"**

The name of his technique was interrupted by an the voice of his wife coming from a magic circle near his head. The owner of the voice appeared shortly afterwards, dressed in her usual blue and white French maid outfit, grey hair styled into two braids that hung down either side of her face. Despite her beauty, the wizard didn't spare her more than a glance, instead watching the Elder Wand reach the apex of its flight.

"Lucifer-sama, Rias-sama is… oh."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH RIA-TAN?!"

Every single of the spheres missed, sailing off into the distance. The Deathly Hallow conked the reverted Sirzechs on the head on its way back down, but the man didn't seem to notice, too worried about his younger sister. Harry Potter sighed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Nine years later**

Harry was nudged awake from his position face-down on his desk with an increasing sense of urgency as the slim, black-haired teenage student in front of him started tapping her foot faster and harder on the carpet. Her glasses glinted dangerously. Still half-asleep, he batted away the fabric poking at his cheek and dimmed the lights with a spell, all without thinking much about it. The lights came back to full brightness when someone standing near the adjustable light switch in his magically-expanded office stopped his magic from lowering it further.

"Potter-san, I understand that dealing with my elder sister is likely the cause of your current state, but as the _principal of Kuoh Academy_ , you should be setting a better example for the rest of the staff. Don't. You. Think?" The last three words were emphasized by three separate foot taps.

At the sound of the voice he had learned to both dread and appreciate over the last decade of his life, Harry forced himself into wakefulness. Or at least as awake as he could manage for a little over an hour of actual sleep. Sitting up, the wizard hurriedly tucked the small, intricately-designed hourglass on a necklace back into his dress shirt from where it had slipped out when he was napping.

"Why, good morning, Sitri-san. How may I help you?" he asked politely. The female Devil in front of him did not appreciate his candor.

"That's _Shitori-san_ , Potter-san," she corrected.

"And that's Potter- _sensei_ , Shitori-san," he returned, mind quickly rebooting as he continued to wake himself up more through sheer force of will. He smiled wryly. "Or you could call me 'nii-san' like you do at home."

Sona Sitri, heiress of the Sitri Clan of Devils and younger sister of Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Great Satans who currently ruled the Underworld and the only female of the group, started blushing wildly and instantly whirled around to face the rest of the Student Council standing behind her. She stomped over with a look of pure murder. Her words were spoken very clearly, the girl looking each member in the eye with most of them recoiling in fear.

"NOBODY. ELSE. KNOWS."

Harry felt a little sorry for the kid who had recently joined, to date the only male on Sona's Peerage. The blond looked like he was about to faint. The rest of the Student Council looked torn between amusement and terror until Harry chopped Sona on the head with a book. Without getting up from his chair.

"Now now, So-tan. Don't be mean to your Peerage for your mistake," he chided lightly. A Devil's Peerage was a symbol of his or her status, the strength of its members indicative of the Peerage's King, or master. Members were reincarnated into Devils and bound into servitude using Evil Pieces, objects modeled after modern chess pieces designed by one of the ruling Four Great Satans and later improved upon in cooperation with a human Magician. Each Devil got a full set of sixteen chess pieces, with the King piece being replaced by a core crystal.

At first glance, it might seem like a system of glorified slavery, but the process of bonding with an Evil Piece conferred a substantial power boost that was often considered worth it by and for the other party.

Treatment of Peerage members varied wildly between Devils, with most Purebloods treating reincarnated Devils with some measure of disdain. Certain Devils, such as those part of the Gremory Clan, were known for breaking the mold and regarding Peerage members as family. Sona, being childhood friends with the heiress, Rias Gremory, inherited most of her kinder tendencies. Although, she was much stricter on those under her employ.

The Sitri heiress swelled up in a mixture of anger and embarrassment at the insinuation that she would ever blame others for her mistakes or worse, take her frustrations out on her Peerage of all people. She then deflated just as quickly with a practiced sigh of exasperation once she saw the easygoing smile her future brother-in-law wore.

"Must you do this?" she asked. "My older sister is bad enough when she visits. Why did you have to take after her worst habits?"

"You only think they're bad because you don't know how to have fun," Harry responded. "I find them endearing."

"Of course you would. Love is blind, or so they say." A pause. "And I protest that first statement."

The two of them stared at each other in silence. It took the Vice President of the Student Council, a tall girl with much longer black hair and rectangular-framed glasses that added to her image of a cool beauty, clearing her throat for them break eye contact. She was Tsubaki Shinra, Queen of Sona's Peerage. The two of them met after the former was cast out from her family at a young age due to her powers calling out to the abnormal monsters her clan was known for exorcising.

Unwilling to abandon their child, but also unwilling to allow her to stay near the rest of the Shinra onmyouji for fear that she would corrupt them, Tsubaki's parents eventually called on supernatural help. Their call was answered by none other than Serafall Leviathan, who had been directed towards them by her fiancé. She immediately identified the source of the young Tsubaki's powers as a Sacred Gear, one of several dozen divine tools bestowed upon humans by the Biblical God.

Serafall's more honorable nature made her inform the girl's parents, but to her pleasant surprise, it only changed what they wanted. Instead of asking for her powers to be sealed or taken away, they requested she be trained in their use. Seeing a golden opportunity to recruit a powerful Sacred Gear user to her younger sister's aid, Serafall had a contract drafted and signed in short order. Tsubaki was taken and introduced to Sona, at which point the two of them became friends. As soon as Sona gained access to her last Evil Piece, about a week before entering Kuoh Academy, she used it to reincarnate Tsubaki Shinra into the first member of her Peerage.

Fast forward three years, and the former member of the ancient omyouji clan now served as Queen to Sona Sitri. She still communicated with her parents regularly, and now that she had much better control of her Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice, she was also welcome to return for training in onmyoudou. She politely declined until graduation.

"Ahem."

Harry refocused his drifting attention on the girl standing in front of him. He really needed sleep.

"Since orientation, there have been over thirty separate instances of peeping by the Perverted Trio, as they're called. I know that Rias has asked you for a favor through Lucifer-sama," here Sona's look became slightly pained, "but is there any way you could get them to cut down on their activities?" she asked. Not pleaded. Definitely not.

The principal hummed noncommittally and tapped his desk, causing another folder to appear before him on top of the other folders already scattered across the wooden surface. The folder opened of its own accord, its contents spreading themselves out evenly. The first document inside, a profile of some sort, had a picture of a brown-haired student smiling goofily at the camera paper-clipped to the front of it. Behind that document were more papers on subjects such as family history, and the last couple of documents in the stack were stamped as 'CLASSIFIED'.

Sona and the other Student Council members couldn't read the marked documents, as they appeared completely blank to everyone who wasn't authorized to view them, even if someone with authorization was looking at it at the same time. This was due to a particularly advanced sensory alteration charm Harry was proud of one of his daughters for inventing long ago.

"Issei Hyoudou," Harry began, "or Hyoudou Issei, I suppose. Seventeen years old as of April 16. Supposedly possesses a Sacred Gear of Draconic origin. That severely limits the pool of possible candidates, doesn't it?"

At the mention of a Sacred Gear, the other occupants of his office gasped.

" _He's_ a Sacred Gear user?" one of the girls asked disbelievingly. Harry's sleep-deprived brain supplied him with the name Momo Hanakai, but he couldn't quite recall other details. Her chest-length white hair reminded him of Kuoh Academy's mascot, whose own white hair reached just past her shoulders. Her previous form had longer hair like her sister's, but it had been many years since he last saw it.

Said mascot also had the uncanny ability to seat herself in his lap no matter where he was as long as they were in the same building. He was half-surprised she wasn't here yet. Then he remembered she and the other members of the Occult Research Club, under its president, Rias Gremory, were currently in a meeting of their own. Eh, he would see her shortly for his special class on magic.

"But, how did you find out? None of us have sensed anything from him," another girl, Reya Kusaka, asked. The third-tallest female member of Sona's Peerage and her other Bishop along with Momo, Reya stood out because of her soft-spoken nature. The overly polite girl was the first to develop the magic of Reverse based on the properties of Tsubaki's Sacred Gear, which bounced attacks back. Since then, the magic became something of a trademark of the Peerage as a whole, with all of the more magic-oriented members able to cast some variation of it.

"Koneko-chan smelled it by coincidence when passing by him in the hallway," Harry replied. "His magical power is so low as to be nonexistent, so I'm not surprised none of you caught on despite all the times you met him."

As one, the Student Council grimaced as they remembered how many times Issei had been sent to them for the exact same reason, that reason being a particular girls' locker room he peeped on whenever he had the opportunity.

"But when you hold a Sacred Gear, then anyone could be shaped into a powerful force down the line," Sona said. "So that's why Rias wants him. Especially with a Dragonic Gear. Don't tell me he has something as crazy as one of the Longinus."

"It's not unlikely. There are only so many _Draconic_ Sacred Gears, after all."

Sona looked at Harry flatly, though a few members of her Peerage were confused since they had not yet been told about the Thirteen Longinus, the strongest Sacred Gears in existence.

"I don't get it. I have a Dragonic Sacred Gear. What's so special about his?" Saji Genshirou, the sole male and one of the Pawns of Sona's Peerage, asked.

"Among the Sacred Gears, there are thirteen that are considered so powerful they could potentially bring about the collapse of a nation or two if used correctly," Harry explained. "These are called the Longinus."

"And Hyoudou-san has one of them?" asked Sona's lone Knight, a hyperactive girl named Tomoe Meguri. "We're doomed!"

"Eh, it can't be that bad, right? I mean, have you seen him? All he ever does is perv on girls," Ruruko Nimura, the other Pawn, said. "What's the worst that could happen? He pervs harder?"

"He could turn to crime," Tomoe retorted. "What if he decides to do more than peep?"

Ruruko and the other girls blanched. Saji took a step forward.

"Don't worry! If he does anything nefarious, I'll be there to stop him!"

"I'm more worried about you joining him, Genshirou-san."

"Urk! K-Kaichou, isn't that a bit cruel?"

Sona smirked at her Pawn, who held his chest in mock agony.

"In all seriousness though, are you sure it's a good idea to let Rias go through with whatever she has planned to recruit him?" she asked Harry.

"Meh. Fair's fair," he answered. "She did stake a claim on him first. If necessary, I can always kill him whenever."

 _SMACK._ A few of the papers were sent flying, only to magically cease their flight and rearrange themselves neatly back on Harry's desk in the exact same places they were before Sona slammed her hand down. She spared the casual act of magic an annoyed glance before picking up the oddly-glowing stone that had fallen off the desk and replacing it in the corner. She could feel a faint sense of both annoyance and gratitude from it, which honestly just creeped her out, but years of dealing with Harry desensitized her to most of the weird feelings she got from some of his belongings.

"Nii-san, we've discussed proper things to say in polite company, haven't we? Some jokes are in poor taste."

"Your Peerage counts?" He wasn't joking, but he saw no reason to piss the girl off more.

Sona tried her hardest to glare at him, but she couldn't even manage to keep it up for a couple of seconds and just sighed in defeat. Harry ruffled her hair, eliciting a cute pout, at least to him. The rest of the Student Council shrunk away slightly when their leader's glasses began glinting again. When the cloak on his back lifted itself off of him and started to nuzzle at her cheek affectionately, she gave up and pet the piece of cloth. It responded like an eager puppy.

"How come you don't nuzzle me?" Harry whined petulantly, only to narrowly duck a swat at his head.

The Sitri heiress finally smiled at that and said "Good boy," to which the cloak responded by raising the corner it used to nuzzle her in the air. Sona gave it a high five and watched it return to its owner's shoulders.

"I swear, at this rate, they're all going to mutiny," Harry mumbled. Then a magic circle popped into existence on his desk. As soon as he focused his attention on it, it opened a connection and a voice filtered through.

"Yo! Master! How's Ria-tan doing? Did she get that Sacred Gear user yet?" it asked boisterously. Sona's eyebrow began twitching. The crest was a dead giveaway, but she was hoping it was the man's wife. Nothing good ever came of any of the Four Great Satans contacting Harry in her presence.

"Sirzechs, we've had this discussion," Harry said with the tone of someone very used to repeating himself. "Every year. For nine years. Call me Harry." The rest of the Student Council, who had never heard the two interact before, stood there dumbfounded at the casual way Harry was addressing the de facto leader of the Underworld. What shocked them more was how he was being addressed by said leader.

"Potter-sama is correct, Lucifer-sama. The leader of the Devils should not be so quick to address someone else in such a subservient manner."

Another, more refined, yet also strict voice. Trust Grayfia to see reason. Years of being dead thankfully did not change her personality, not that it should have. Rare were the souls that deteriorated that quickly. The wizard would have preferred if she called him 'Harry' as well, but he had learned long ago to give up on that particular battle. Her dedication to her duties as a maid was not to be underestimated.

"And I'll say it as many times as I have to. Contracts are final. The only artifact I had any success with was that damn wand. And even it isn't completely gone yet. On the bright side, we saw the Dimensional Gap and lived to tell the tale! Isn't that neat?" Sirzechs laughed.

"You threw me into the Dimensional Gap after I told you I could apparate across dimensions because you couldn't figure out a way to open a portal safely without anything on the other side noticing you," Harry remarked drily. "Get to the point, or else I'm dragging you with me to _meet_ Great Red."

The other side was quiet as the grave, and all of the other devils in the room shuddered. And then he delivered the kicker.

"And then I'll tell Serafall you purposefully endangered me."

"Wait, NO! Anything but that, Master! I-!" _click._

The others stared at Harry with varying looks of astonishment.

"You just hung up on the Crimson Satan," the lone Rook of Sona's Peerage, Tsubasa Yura, said. The tallest and quietest member of Sona's Peerage, it made sense she would be the last of them to speak up.

"Did you really meet the Great Red?" Ruruko asked excitedly. "Did you fight him?"

"Forget that, what was that part about appearing across dimensions?" Saji asked. "Can you teach me how to do that? Is it like existing in multiple places at the same time? Wait, CAN YOU CLONE YOURSELF AT WILL?"

Harry blinked at the onslaught of questions and the surprisingly accurate string of guesses by the male Pawn, then decided the look on Sona's face afterwards would be camera-worthy. Fishing his necklace out of his shirt again, he flicked the hourglass gently and it let out a bell-like chime.

"Yo."

The Student Council, Sona included, turned around to see Harry Potter standing in the doorway. Then, they turned back around and saw him sitting at his desk. The seated Harry gave a cheeky wave, which was mirrored by the standing one when the group turned around a third time. Sona in particular had her mouth open, uncaring for how she appeared.

The sound of a digital camera going off echoed through the silent office.

"Worth it," the standing Harry said as he put away his cell phone.

"W-w-wha-HOW?!" Saji practically screamed. "Is it the necklace? Can I have one? I'll do anything you ask!"

The sentiment was mostly shared by the rest of the Student Council, except for Sona, who pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, and Tsubaki, who just chuckled.

"No. The magic is unique to me and only I can use my necklace. I have other things that can do something similar, but none of you are capable of using them right now." Having answered the boy's questions, Harry turned to address the rest of the gathered students, but was interrupted by his other self, to his annoyance.

"No, I didn't fight the Great Red; are you mad? I ran. Obviously, that means I met him. Not a very pleasant fellow," the standing Harry began rattling off. "Yes, I can effectively clone myself at will, though it is extremely limited in application. Yes and no, I am and am not existing in different places simultaneously. It's complicated. No, it cannot be taught, not really."

One by one, the members of the Student Council gained incredulous looks. Or at least more incredulous looks than they already had. The standing version of the principal ignored them and continued undeterred.

"The correct pronunciation is 'apparate', and it's a variant on teleportation that I've refined to the point where I can literally rewrite my existence in a different place, which allows me to cross any boundary, ward, dimensional or planar barrier, or other restriction that may impede travel that you might think of. Like everything else I've said so far, it cannot be taught if you don't already possess some sort of aptitude for it. Well, mostly. I suppose I could mess with your souls a bit and try to force you to accept the necessary changes, but I'd rather not risk it and it would take a ridiculously long time anyway."

At this point, everyone was openly gawking at the wizard standing in the doorway. The seated Harry then spoke up, causing them to turn around yet again.

"And finally, yes. I hung up on Sirzechs. He's made himself my servant for all eternity."

Sona could only facepalm at how this first meeting between her Peerage and her sister's secret fiancé had gone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rias and Sona sat patiently at the front of the empty classroom a couple of hours after classes had ended for the day. Behind them sat the various members of their Peerages, chatting among themselves as they waited for their teacher to show up, though Rias' Queen was missing. It was Friday, so they all had free time. Today, like every Friday before, they met in this empty room reserved only for them to attend a special course taught by none other than the principal of their school. The topics usually centered on some form of magic, but every so often a more exotic topic, such as the nature of the soul or small unit tactics, was introduced as well.

The topic for today was on the general schools of magic. It was a review for everyone except for select members of Sona's Peerage that had joined after the last review session several weeks ago, namely Saji, Momo, and Ruruko. The "veterans" of the class didn't mind; Harry always found some way to make it interesting.

The man himself walked through the door, and all of the conversations stopped abruptly. He stopped at the teacher's podium.

"Stand!" Sona announced. She waited a second for all of the students in the room to obey. "Bow!" As one, all of the teenagers bent at the waist politely at Harry. He smiled in amusement at the formality. English schools certainly didn't adhere to customs like this, not that they didn't have their own fair share of common practices.

"And be seated," he finished for Sona. They all sat back down. "Rias, where's Akeno?"

The buxom girl twirled a few strands of her signature red hair, something else the Gremory Clan was known for, idly. From his angle at the front, Harry could really tell why the she was called one of the two "Great Ladies of Kuoh Academy" along with her Queen. Most Devils were supernaturally beautiful examples of their gender, and Rias was no exception. Even for a Devil though, the teenage girl's proportions were abnormal. Teenage hormones being what they were, the wizard could only imagine what initially prompted her nickname.

"She's keeping an eye on something for me."

"I see," Harry said. "Well, she's taken most of my lessons on magic to heart anyway, so I suppose that's fine."

He enchanted a few markers to help him.

"As most of you know, this is a review session for the benefit of those who aren't as knowledgeable about the workings of modern magic. As always, feel free to ask questions at any time, but try to stay on topic. If you're new, I suggest you take notes."

Three circles were drawn. A fourth was added to the side.

"Magic is divided into three main schools, with a fourth school of magic existing, but not widely used. These schools classify magic spells, not the energy used to fuel them. More on that later."

A small fireball appeared at the front of the room. An orb of water appeared at its side, followed by a chunk of earth. The three of them began rotating as a visible green gust of wind blew in a circle around them. One of the markers drew a depiction of the four spells in the first circle.

"The vast majority of magic is classified as elemental. Depending on how well-read you are, or if you play a lot of video games, you may recognize this term as referring to things such as fire, water, earth, and wind. While those are elements, that is not what I'm talking about. Elements can be anything, and are not restricted to actual elements, scientific or otherwise. For example, the elements of movement and autonomy I used on the markers. It would be more accurate to call them properties or concepts, but the latter is the name of another magic school."

Momo raised her hand.

"If everything can be an element, what about the other magic schools? Wouldn't any spell be considered elemental?"

"Good question, but no. This goes back to the point about energy and spells being different."

Harry indicated the spells he had cast in front of him.

"The fireball is fueled by elemental energy that has the property of fire. Likewise for the others. But, what if I made something out of the element of light?"

They vanished, replaced by a glowing sphere of energy. Without warning, it propelled itself towards Saji, who scrambled to bat it away. Both Momo and Ruruko shouted a warning, but were too late. When his hand made contact with the ball, it burst with a flash, blinding him momentarily. He spent a few seconds blinking the spots from his eyes, before they all suddenly realized something.

"Wait, I thought light was deadly to me," Saji said. "Wasn't that supposed to be one of the main weaknesses of Devils?"

Harry clapped his hands to draw attention.

"It is. But not elemental light. The light that is deadly to Devils is Holy light, which falls under the classification of theological magic."

Another marker drew a cross and a halo with a comical pair of horns on it.

"Theological magic is the realm of Demons and Angels, and most gods."

"Uhh, 'gods'? As in, plural?"

"Yes, Saji. There are multiple gods. The one you are most familiar with leads the Angels in Heaven and is called the Biblical God. The rest are part of different pantheons. But back to theological magic. While you could feasibly create a holy-elemental spell, it wouldn't be the same as the Holy magic Angels use because holy energy and elemental energy with the property of holiness are fundamentally different. To explain this difference, I'd need to teach you more about magical energy, which I'll do later. For now, all you need to know is, if whoever you're fighting isn't an Angel, a deity, or affiliated with the Church, like a nun or an Exorcist, they probably aren't using Holy magic. If you _are_ fighting one of those, especially the deity, reconsider your life choices."

A few of the students chuckled, while Saji himself joined in nervously.

"Right. Don't fight gods. Gotcha."

"Good. By the way, Sacred Gears are a product of divine magic, a branch of theological magic. However, they also fall under the third main school: spiritual magic. This includes all spells which operate directly on the soul. Before anyone asks, the soul is in fact, a thing, and it is responsible for your memories, your self-identity, and is ultimately the source of all of your magical energy, being fused with your magical core."

The markers drew a cartoon ghost with a goofy smile and labelled it 'Saji'. They then drew a circle in the middle of the ghost with an arrow pointing to it that said 'core'. Below the word 'core' the word 'unholy' was written, with a crossed-out pitfall next to it. Harry shot his magical markers a flat look and erased the unnecessary addition.

"This is what happens if you give your teaching tools too much autonomy," he muttered as he turned back around. Many of the students were in between smiling and confused. "Ahem. As I was saying, spiritual magic affects the soul. Sacred Gears bond with their hosts' souls and are fueled by them. Don't worry, overusing your Gear will cause you to dismiss it or fall unconscious long before you somehow manage to exhaust your soul's natural energy. Sona, who are the main users of spiritual magic in Japanese culture?"

"The Youkai," she answered readily.

"Just so." A few looks were directed at Koneko Toujou, the petite mascot of Kuoh and Rook of Rias' Peerage, who was a Youkai before she was reincarnated into a Devil. Harry walked over and pet the girl's head, causing her cat ears to pop out near-instantaneously. "Our resident Nekoshou here has chosen to forego her talents in Youjutsu and Senjutsu for the time being, so she can't help demonstrate, but that's okay because spiritual magic happens to be my specialty."

He put his hand to his chest and slowly moved it away. Soon, he held a swirling orb of energy with different streaks of color, the most prominent being pure black, running through it.

"This is my soul. As you can see, it has a lot going on. Don't worry about the black, I'm not dying or anything. In fact, if I took your souls out, most of them would be reddish-black since you're all at least part-Devils."

"Why is your soul black then?" Ruruko wondered. "Are you part-Devil too? Or a Youkai?"

Harry returned his soul to where it belonged.

"No. I'm human. Mostly, anyway. No, the reason my soul is black is because of the fourth school of magic. It's the rarest and most difficult to use, much less master."

The markers drew a gravestone with 'R.I.P.' on it in big block letters.

"The fourth school is known as conceptual magic. Just like anything can be an element, anything can also be a concept. The difference is, concepts are exclusive. Only one person can use a concept at a time, except in very special circumstances. It's the most powerful type of magic, and it essentially trumps everything else but other conceptual magic."

"Why did you draw a gravestone, then?" Saji questioned.

"Simple. Partly because almost all of the conceptual magic users in the world are dead. But, more importantly…"

Harry stopped at the front of the room again.

"I'm the Master of Death. Keep a secret for me, okay?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Will you please die for me?"

Issei Hyoudou looked uncomprehendingly at the light spear stabbed through his chest and collapsed in a steadily growing pool of his own blood. A square sheet of paper fell out of his pocket as he fell over, the discreetly printed summoning circle activating in response to Issei's last wish.

 _I wish I could have touched… a woman's breasts…_

The boy lost consciousness. Across from him, flying with black-feathered wings, a beautiful, but twisted-looking woman dressed in what could only be called a variation on fetish bondage gear sniffed in disdain once before departing. She failed to notice the light emanating from the contract. Shortly afterwards, Rias Gremory stepped out from the light of a teleportation circle, searching for the boy she knew should have called on her by now. Upon seeing his condition, she hurriedly crafted a return teleportation circle, setting the Occult Research Club of Kuoh Academy as her destination.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So… any second now, you say?"

Sona stared at her brother-in-law. He was tracing a series of runes in the air, some of which she recognized as diagnostic in nature. A few more had something to do with space and time, but she was nowhere near experienced enough to decipher them. Every so often, he would pause in his tracing, look it over, then begin again. Finally, he clapped his hands together, and the runes vanished.

"Aaany second now," he declared. "Like, right about… now."

On cue, the tell-tale red light of a Gremory summoning circle shone throughout the small room as the circle itself materialized out of thin air above an unoccupied bed. The unfortunate boy fell out of it first, directly into the bed which had cushioning charms cast on it. The redhead tumbled out a split-second later, but her flight was redirected into the unwitting Sona standing next to said bed.

"Oof!" "Eek!"

Harry watched with great amusement as Sona Sitri, or _Shitori_ as was her fake name in the human world, struggled to push the heavier heiress off, who was still dizzy from having her teleportation magic hijacked mid-use.

" _HONEY! HONEY! OUR LITTLE LILY JUST APPARATED ON TOP OF MY HEAD!"_

" _WHAT!? THAT'S AMAZING NEWS! OUR LILY! THE FIRST WITCH BORN IN YEARS!_ … _Wait, are you both okay?"_

"Y-yes, thank you for asking, Harry-sensei." "I could have done with a little warning, nii-san, but yes, I am fine as well."

Harry shook his head to clear it, then realized he had been addressed by the two girls who were now standing upright. Rias, despite attempting to look regal and respectful, couldn't help but continue to send worried glances at Issei. The boy had long since stopped breathing. He judged the brown-haired teen would die within minutes, possibly sooner, if something wasn't done. Good thing he was here. Sona just looked concerned for her best friend-slash-rival.

"I'm not teaching right now, Rias."

"Will he…" Rias began tentatively. "Can I…?"

"He'll be fine." her friend reassured her. "Harry's done this several times already, remember? Every member of your Peerage turned out fine, right?"

"…Right. That's right. I'll… leave him in your care, Harry-sensei. Please… save him," Rias said while bowing low.

 _"Please, save her! I'll do anything! Please…"_

"There's no need for that. I'm doing this for you and Sirzechs. Merlin only knows you'll need the help sooner or later," Harry replied airily. "Plus, how many times have I asked you to call me Harry-niisan now?"

With a wave of his hands, Issei was covered in a familiar blue hue. At least, it was familiar to both Rias and Sona, who had seen it applied to several other individuals thus far, all of whom were not only healthy, but some of the healthiest devils ever reincarnated from near-death states, or in some cases, even beyond death. Harry cast another spell that stripped the boy of his upper body clothing.

Rias giggled, part-delight and part-relief, once she saw Issei's wounds begin to heal before her eyes.

"Sorry, Harry-ojisan. Only Sirzechs is my nii-san. He got really… teary when he heard me call you that. Started shouting about how he was being replaced," she said with a resigned smile.

"Of course he did, that siscon," Harry sighed. "So-tan, at least I have you…"

He reached out and pulled Sona into a half-hug, which she tried, and failed, to squirm out of.

"So, have you tested him yet?" he asked.

"No, not yet," Rias replied. "I figured it should wait."

"Well, he's stable for now. Go ahead and figure out the price of his servitude," Harry said.

Rias looked at him with a mock glare at his choice of words. She knew he didn't really mind the reincarnation process; he just liked to rile others up for fun.

"It's not servitude. The House of Gremory has always treated its servants well. You can ask any of the others you helped me reincarnate. They're all very happy," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just saying, in this particular case, your newest member would probably be more than happy to… _serve_ you." Harry drew the word out with a wiggle of his eyebrows, causing both Rias and Sona, who was still trapped in his half-hug, to blush. Sona, being the closer of the two and having the fortune of being in a strategically advantageous position, took the opportunity to swat him over the head. Her strike was followed by an identical swat from his ever-present cloak, something which earned the cloak a few seconds of petting from both girls. Harry just deadpanned at the piece of clothing practically purring as it rippled along his back.

"Stop that, you're tickling me. And you two," he said, looking pointedly at the two Devil heiresses, "don't encourage it. Anyway, hurry up and get on with it, 'Ria-tan'. I'm a busy man."

"It hurts that I can't actually refute that claim," Sona grumbled. "Knowing nee-san, she's probably going to force you to appear on her show again."

Sona gained only the smallest amount of satisfaction from feeling the body of the man she was currently pressed against stiffen slightly. The reason she wasn't more satisfied…

"And then she'll get me to drag you along," he said in a completely non-threatening manner.

…Was because that was what had happened the last twenty or thirty times her sister had actually succeeded in somehow coercing Harry into starring on her show as, of all things, her secret lover for which Miracle Levia-tan fought. If Harry was going to appear on the Underworld's Number One Best-Selling Television Show as someone with a ridiculous name like the Noble Tyrant, he was sure as Hell going to have some fun with it. The two of them shared plenty of laughs at the inside joke. Still, he couldn't stop the involuntary shudder as he remembered some of the things she had initially wanted him to say or do. Thank Satan she eventually let him just play the strong, silent type.

Sona Sitri played the part of Little Levia-tan (Harry had doubled over laughing at that, and not even repeated pummeling from the combined forces of his sister-in-law and his beloved cloak had gotten him to stop), joining forces with the titular star of the show whenever the two of them happened to be in the same place in the show's setting. Sona had argued against the name since she was about the same height as her sister but was overruled by both Serafall and Harry. There had been talk of a spin-off starring Little Levia-tan circulating the studio for a few days before the idea was ruthlessly stamped out and vetoed by the would-be star of the show.

The Sitri heiress shuddered when memories she had been trying to suppress surfaced for a brief instant.

While the two not-quite siblings-in-law were lost in thoughts they'd prefer to have stayed buried, Rias had walked over to the prone Issei. In her hands was a flat, rectangular box made of a material resembling mundane lacquered wood, but in reality was made from material harvested from the petrified forests within her family's territory in the Underworld. Opening the box, she revealed several chaotic-looking chess pieces colored dark red and black, each piece bearing a miniature Gremory family crest on its bottom.

These were her Evil Pieces, the entire set symbolic of her current capacity and potential for growth as a High-Class Devil. Missing from their respective spots were one of each of the major pieces, including the Queen. Two of the Pawns also looked like they had been damaged. Small, spiderweb cracks ran along their surfaces, marking them as Mutated Pieces, more powerful versions of the normal Pieces. Where the King would usually have been was instead a blood-red crystal with a floating Gremory family crest suspended in its center.

Invented by Ajuka Beelzebub, the Evil Piece System was supposed to be the answer to the dwindling population of Devils in the wake of the Great War and subsequent Civil War. A Devil could reincarnate another being into a Devil in his or her Peerage by using a set number of Pieces depending on how powerful that being was. The reincarnated Devil would receive a corresponding power boost and be bound to the King, or master, of the Peerage. The bond was not unlike a servant bond, but it did not compel obedience as strongly as a true bond of servitude would.

The improved Evil Piece System took this concept further. Upon imprinting their magical signature upon the crystal replacing the King piece, a set of Evil Pieces would immediately unlock and possibly mutate according to its owner's current power. As its owner grew more powerful, more pieces might mutate, and pieces which previously lay dormant within the box would become usable.

The initial Evil Piece System developed by Ajuka was static. Pieces mutated upon the Devil in question first receiving the whole set, or not at all, and all of a Devil's Pieces were available from the start. This resulted in more than one unfortunate accident where a Devil attempted to force a more powerful entity than him or herself into servitude, only for the ritual to either fail or backfire. The Evil Pieces were meant to facilitate a reciprocal and symbiotic exchange of power. However, contracting with beings whose power or energy was naturally incompatible with devils had disastrous results. Contracting with too many beings at once also overloaded the Devil's core, creating an unstable feedback loop that ultimately resulted in death.

Before Harry came along, the problem was not well understood. With his insight into the workings of the soul and magical cores, the wizard was able to single out the cause of death in several cases and shared his findings with his then contracted partner, Sirzechs, who in turn passed the knowledge on to Ajuka. Ajuka then entered into a separate contract with Harry in which both cooperated to improve upon the Evil Pieces. For his help in introducing the growth system, Harry was gifted his own custom set despite not being a Devil, and also awarded an honorary noble title.

…But that was nine years ago. Nine years ago, when the first of a new type of Evil Piece, dubbed the Noble Pieces, was used by Sirzechs to reincarnate the most important member of his Peerage. The Queen-to-be volunteered as she owed Harry a great debt and was more than eager to be officially inducted. And now, today, Rias held her own set aloft over Issei, the Pieces silently judging the boy's potential as a Peerage member. Sometime while he had been lost in memories of the past, the rest of Rias' Peerage had filtered into the infirmary, making the space quite cramped.

To everyone's surprise but Harry's, the two Mutated Pawns were the first to float from their places and seat themselves firmly on the unmoving boy's chest. After them came the rest of the regular Pawns. Then, even Harry's eyebrows rose when the Pieces continued to glow faintly, indicating the process had not finished. A quick look at the teen's core told him why.

"More than ten Pawns…?" Sona whispered in awe. It was widely accepted that Mutated Pieces were worth at least double their base value, with the exception of the Mutated Queen, which equaled the now-forbidden King Piece, itself having been worth the rest of the regular Pieces combined.

"No," Harry asserted. "There's something wrong. His core is in flux."

"What does that mean?" the blonde pretty boy of Rias' Peerage, Yuuto Kiba, asked.

"It means the Pieces aren't judging him properly at the moment. You'll have to wait for his core to settle down before you can test him. Sorry, Rias. I'd wager it has something to do with his Sacred Gear fighting to keep him alive," Harry said with a contemplative tone.

"'Fighting to keep him alive?'" Rias parroted. "So it's sentient?"

 _They all are._ Harry didn't voice that particular thought.

"Most likely." Sona was the one to speak this time. "Let's let nii-san, I mean, Potter-sensei do his thing." She tried to cover her slip of the tongue by ushering the rest of the students out of the room.

Rias' Peerage members, comprised of the members of the Occult Research Club, shared amused glances with each other before agreeing. As they filed out the door one by one, the small, white-haired form of Koneko stayed behind, staring up at Harry. Being almost half a meter taller, Harry had to look down to address her.

"Don't worry Koneko-chan. I've got this," Harry said with a smile, ruffling the younger girl's hair. Out of her hair popped her two cat ears, the tell-tale signs of her Nekoshou heritage, in addition to the two-forked tail snaking out from beneath her skirt. She nodded hesitantly and made her way out the door after hiding her features again, but not before stopping to speak a couple of incomplete sentences.

"Hate perverts," she stated flatly. "But… don't want him to die. Buchou would be sad."

She paused.

"Don't want you to die either. Sona would cry."

She then darted out of the room, leaving Harry alone with the boy in magical stasis.

"Yes," Harry said to himself quietly, "yes she would."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey Harry, whatchu up to?" a bubbly female voice asked.

"Well, I just finished healing the newest member of Rias' Peerage. He's definitely got the Boosted Gear in him," Harry responded, facing the owner of said voice.

He turned around to see Serafall Leviathan, dressed in her usual magical girl outfit, arms behind her back idly waving her staff back and forth. Her signature twin tails of jet-black hair were immaculate, as was every last frill on her skirt. Her blue eyes danced with mirth as she looked up at him with seemingly childish curiosity.

"Hmm? Really, now?" She hummed. "I wonder if I can find the host of Divine Dividing for So-tan…"

Harry placed a hand on her head, patting it idly before letting it fall down to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch. "That would be a bad idea since they're destined to fight to the death. Besides, I got her Saji just a few days ago, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but Absorption Line isn't a Longinus," she muttered half-heartedly, still leaning into his hand and bringing her own, unadorned hands up to lay them over his.

"Tell you what, I'll see if I can track down the rest of Vritra's soul fragments," Harry offered. "I'm ninety-nine percent sure Azazel has at least one of them."

Serafall immediately perked up at this and flung herself into Harry's arms, burying her face in his chest. "Ooooh, thank you thank you thank you, Harry! This, this is why I fell in love with you!" She said, though her voice was slightly muffled by the cloak he always wore draped around him. She swore to herself one day she'd get him to hang it up somewhere so she could properly bury her face into his chest whenever she wanted.

"You mean it wasn't for my dashing good looks, my charming humor, or my head pats?"

"Oh. Yeah, those are much better reasons. But, you didn't give me any head pats until after we were engaged! I demand reparations!"

Harry, for his part, just gave her an amused look, sending an equally amused message to his cloak since both he and it knew that was what she had been driving at this entire time. With practiced ease, he rested his hand back on her head. Then, his body tensed, causing Serafall to pause in her attempts to suffocate herself in his upper body and look up at him questioningly. He gave her a soothing look and said it was nothing.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Aaand done," Harry said. Or at least, a copy of him.

On the bed, the ethereal blue glow surrounding Issei slowly faded away, leaving the perfectly healthy boy breathing and very much alive. Harry took the time to finish his extensive diagnostic spells, and, after determining the boy was the very picture of health, collapsed into a heap on the ground. His hands slowly worked his shirt open, revealing a stab wound in his chest which was leaking motes of light. Sighing tiredly, he cast a quick cleaning charm to make the infirmary pristine again. No need to bother the custodial staff after all. And Sona would appreciate it.

As he faded away, he could feel his memories slipping one by one as they were transferred to the only other Harry currently in existence. He could vaguely make out the sound of a door being slammed open. His eyes could no longer see, but he could tell someone had flipped the lights on. He was being held warmly. He closed his eyes and settled down to rest. If only it would stop raining… From between dried lips, he whispered three words.

"That makes… twelve…"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Italics indicate either thoughts or a flashback to a time before the of this story.

In the next chapter, everyone's favorite innocent nun shows up!


	4. EX1of5 Ch2 - To Help, To Heal

**Chapter 2 – To Help, To Heal**

 **(Excalibur Arc, Part One of Five)**

* * *

"Welp, looks like that failed spectacularly."

"Indeed."

Harry brushed himself off as he stood up from the floor. In front of him, Sirzechs observed his casual demeanor with an equally unconcerned air.

"Glad you made it out okay, though. You really weren't kidding when you said you could cross dimensions."

The wizard shot him a flat look.

"You failed."

"…Yes, I did. Guess that means I'm your servant for eternity now, huh? Well, hope to get along with you from now on, Master!"

Wince.

"Don't call me that. It makes me uncomfortable."

Grayfia stepped forward.

"Lord Potter, I-"

"That makes me even more uncomfortable, Grayfia. Please, both of you, call me Harry."

"…I'm afraid I can't do that, Master. The terms of the contract are clear. We both must abide by them."

"…"

"I won't let you take her away from me again, _Master_."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present**

Waking up with someone else was both a novel experience and yet not. Harry was no stranger to sleeping with others. In fact, he had prior experience with exactly three other people. Still, he had to admit, none of them slept nude.

Very carefully extracting himself from Serafall's tangle of limbs, he spared his sleeping partner a glance… that nearly turned into open staring before he shook his head to expel impure thoughts.

 _Satan Girl indeed_ , Harry thought wryly to himself. Many an unwitting, hot-blooded male would easily fall victim to Serafall's innocent charm. Harry himself was not completely immune despite centuries of experience. Then again, Serafall wasn't exactly a spring chicken either, although vocalizing that thought was likely to get him killed, functional immortality or no. With a last appreciative look, Harry got dressed in his formal work uniform as the principal of Kuoh Academy and quietly vanished.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Moments after she was sure he had appa-whatevered to Kuoh, Serafall's eyes shot open with the alertness of someone who had been awake for a while. Wasting no time, she leapt out of bed, magically equipped her standard magical girl outfit, complete with star staff, and traced her fiancé's magical signature through the identification ward surrounding his workplace. Piggybacking off the unique gap in the school's normally airtight defenses opened by his chosen method of travel, Serafall succeeded in stealthily infiltrating school grounds… or so she thought.

Expecting to end up in the Student Council Room for some So-tan cuddle time early in the morning, Serafall instead wound up standing in Harry's office, staring at him as he looked back at her with a mixture of amusement and disapproval. Without a word, he indicated a chair that Serafall knew hadn't been present a moment ago, and, like an obedient child caught red-handed doing something she wasn't supposed to be, she sat down and looked at her feet with her lower lip trembling.

"Now, Serafall, I can understand your love for your beloved imouto. In fact, I greatly respect the amount of dedication you and Sirzechs have for the needs of your younger siblings," Harry began. As Serafall's expression perked up and her entire demeanor started brightening, he continued, "but the identification ward exists for a reason." She deflated. "They are here. Alone, but safe. For a reason. A very good reason." Every sentence made her sink lower in her seat.

"That being said, I anticipated this would be around the time you got anxious and wanted to check in on her, so I moved Parent Observation Day up. She's all yours," Harry finished with a wide smile.

Serafall looked at him dumbfounded as he snapped a picture with his cell phone. However, her expression quickly changed to one of pure elation. Without further preamble, she leapt from her chair, over the desk separating the two of them, and planted her lips firmly on his for as long as either of them could hold their breaths, before breaking apart and shouting a quick "ThankyousomuchIloveyouseeyoulaterbye!" on her way out the door. Harry just shook his head and turned his swivel-chair (because he insisted he have one) to face his window, which just happened to look down on the entrance to the academy, where one unfortunate Sona Sitri was standing, welcoming students and their parents while keeping a keen eye out for signs of her elder sister.

Alas her efforts were for naught, as Harry could see her woodenly turn her head and stare in utter shock as her sister burst forth from within the school doing her best impression of a human cannonball as she barreled into her beloved So-tan. The next ten minutes were spent in a general state of chaos as Sona struggled to get out from underneath her much stronger elder sister and the rest of the Student Council refused to help and actually encouraged bystanders to take pictures.

When interrogated by Sona later, Harry would deny all involvement. It's not like he bribed the rest of the Student Council by taking some extra paperwork off their hands, right? It's not like he created a spell specifically to make paperwork less tedious, right? And it's definitely not like he duplicated himself and completed said paperwork in the span of a few minutes while pretending he was busy for a couple of hours so he could catch some extra sleep, right? Right.

"Y'know. I get the feeling I'm forgetting something important," Harry said to no one in particular. The stone on his desk flashed a couple of times, while the cloak on his shoulders mimicked a shrug. "Eh. If it's important, I'll remember eventually."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Grayfia Lucifuge was an earnest woman. She was hardworking, loyal, and honorable. Like most devils, she was a supernaturally attractive example of her gender. She wore her long gray hair in two braids that fell to either side, and she often dressed in a French maid's outfit for reasons she refused to elaborate on and her husband denied any knowledge of. Speaking of her husband, she was married to Sirzechs Lucifer, the love of her life and the man for whom she had sacrificed her life. To be walking among the living again was a blessing she never took for granted. But sometimes… her husband made things difficult.

"RIA-TAAAAAN!"

A red blur, thankfully dressed in a casual business suit rather than his traditional armor, which she had managed to _talk_ him out of wearing to a civilian installation, crashed into a poor, unsuspecting third-year high school student while the surrounding students just stopped and stared. Rias, the victim of what she could only call assault or possibly sexual harassment, took a calming breath and greeted her beloved older brother with as much decorum as she could muster while being lifted off her feet in a crushing bear hug.

"Why didn't you TELL me Parent Observation Day had been moved up! I only heard about it after Harry hung up on me on Friday and I kept trying to reach him!"

Rias eyebrow twitched ever so slightly as, several rooms away on a different floor, Harry felt a sudden chill down his spine.

 _Strange_ , Harry thought. _I thought I stopped getting those after Sirzechs managed to destroy the Elder Wand. Too bad it re-forms so he has to keep breaking it apart. Again, I get the feeling I'm forgetting something… Meh. It'll come to me._

Back in the hallway, Grayfia took an equally deep breath as her sister-in-law and reminded herself not to take her second lease on life for granted.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Minus a couple of photoshoot incidents Harry had to come and break up whenever Serafall tried to strike one too many poses with the normally unflappable Student Council President, the rest of the day passed without much incident. That's why Harry knew something was bound to go horribly wrong at the last second. It was Monday, after all.

When Sirzechs strode into his office alone after school ended with a solemn expression on his face, Harry considered his fears justified.

"Another Sacred Gear user has been detected entering Kuoh," he said without preamble.

Harry merely raised an eyebrow. What was one more Sacred Gear user when already seven others had been detected in the vicinity, not including the five on Sona and Rias' Peerages?

"The latest user has been detected in the company of fallen angels," Sirzechs continued, his expression only growing more serious.

Still not seeing the particular importance of the company said Sacred Gear holder kept, Harry motioned for the other man to keep talking.

"This could be the catalyst we've been looking for. Or the start of the plan," Sirzechs said, a note of urgency creeping into his voice. "So many Sacred Gear users gathered in devil-controlled territory. Not just any devils either; the siblings of two of the four Satans. Then one arrives with a whole contingent of fallen angels? An excommunicated nun, no less? The only way they could be more obvious is if they made a move on a Church artifact and moved it here."

Something niggled in the back of Harry's mind, but he chose to ignore it for now and focus on what Sirzechs was telling him. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Track the fallen angels. With your mage sight and total invisibility, they'll never know you're there," Sirzechs suggested. "I can't even sense their power, so they're definitely low on the totem pole. I've already contacted Azazel, and he's doing his own investigation. He says one of his highest-ranking generals recently went AWOL."

"Which one?"

"Kokabiel."

"As in, the 'star of God,' 'angel of the stars,' commander of some 350,000 spirits? That Kokabiel?" Harry asked incredulously. Unbeknownst to Sirzechs, the cloak sent Harry a mental message that basically translated to "There are other Kokabiels?" that Harry chose to pointedly ignore.

"That's the one," Sirzechs replied blandly, "though rumors of his powers are greatly exaggerated. That doesn't mean he isn't a threat though. He is a capable commander, and he will no doubt have many followers from the Grigori."

"The Grigori…" Harry said the name slowly, as if tasting it. "Assuming the goal is to restart the Great War, how would stationing a single fallen angel unit with a Sacred Gear user in a town with eleven other Sacred Gear users work towards that goal?"

"I don't know yet, but my gut tells me that unit is just the beginning," Sirzechs replied. "I've learned to trust my gut. Maybe the unit's a scouting party or a really small advance vanguard. Testing the waters, so to speak. Maybe stir the nest a bit. Generate a few waves by antagonizing the other Sacred Gear users. Maybe the one Sacred Gear user they have with them is immensely powerful, or has a Gear with a game-changing ability."

"A game-changing ability," Harry repeated. "Such as? I'm not familiar with all the Sacred Gears yet."

Sirzechs paused momentarily before speaking. "Resurrection. The Sephiroth Graal. They wouldn't have to use it on the weak fallen angels. Kuoh sits on powerful ley lines. Powerful ley lines are always a source of conflict."

"All they would need to do is find a suitably strong warrior or maybe warriors," Harry said. "Set them loose to create enough chaos for more forces to move in, or force you, Serafall, Rias, Sona, or any of the independent Gear holders into action."

"Or you," Sirzechs said with his most serious face yet.

"Me? I'm not well-known enough yet."

"You aren't nearly as secretive or subtle as you believe you are," Sirzechs said. His next words froze Harry's blood. "The three Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand, the Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone. Together, they make one the Master of Death. You, Harry Potter, are the Master of Death."

Harry didn't move. Because he knew what came next.

"You killed Satan."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" _The Master of Death approaches, sire."_

" _Let it come. We have nothing to fear so long as we have done it no wrong. And if it wishes to test its strength against mine… we shall see who the true master is."_

…

" _Michael, the Master of Death has been seen at the edge of the demon encampment! He- it appears to be conversing with their leader!"_

" _What? Impossible. What reason does it have to be here?"_

" _Brother…"_

" _Do not worry, Gabriel. It is a neutral element. I can only imagine what drew it here from his dwelling on the isles…"_

" _Still, shouldn't Father be informed?"_

" _He likely already knows. But you are correct in that one can never be too sure. I will contact him personally and ask for his guidance."_

…

" _General Azazel…"_

" _I see him."_

" _Your orders?"_

" _Unless you are in a rush to have your soul condemned to oblivion, for the love of our Father do not approach or interact with him."_

" _Yes, sir!"_

… … …

" _SIRIUS!"_

 _*cough* "Heh… Sorry, pup…"_

" _Shh. Don't say anything Sirius. I can fix this. I can heal you!"_

" _Let it go, pup. Harry. Harry!"_

" _Please, Sirius, let me…"_

" _No, Harry. My time has come and passed. I was lucky to live this long. Blessed to have had as much time as I had with you."_

" _Sirius, don't talk like that…!"_

" _Listen to me, Harry. That ability of yours. You must only use it in the most dire of circumstances. And never on the same person. The Hallows will break you. You saved me from the Veil. Then you saved me from the Civil War. Before that, you saved me from the Dementor's Kiss. I can never thank you enough. I love you, pup. It's time to let go. Time to… let go…"_

"… _I…"_

"…"

"… _Sirius?"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"No. I didn't," Harry denied.

"The records all state that the Master of Death killed Satan, then went and culled any major generals on all sides of the war that refused to surrender immediately. In the end, none of the factions' armies were in any condition to continue fighting, so peace was had," Sirzechs recited, as if from memory.

"But I didn't kill Satan. I didn't kill anyone else either. I… left."

That brought Sirzechs up short. No fancy or elaborate story. No excuse. It was too simple a lie. "What do you mean you left? There were eyewitnesses. Nobody else owns anything like what you carry. Nobody else is capable of that type of magic! You yourself told me you've been the last of your kind for several decades now!"

"I mean I left. I never confronted Satan, I returned to the isles to mourn the final death of my godfather. I let his soul move on," Harry said with an empty voice. His cloak rose up around him as if supporting his claim.

"But… if you weren't there, then how…"

 _That makes… twelve._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Harry. HARRY!" a voice shouted.

Harry looked up and saw the concerned expression on Sirzech's face.

"Are you okay Harry? You look a little tired." Sirzechs stood up from his conjured chair. "If you can't handle surveillance, I can send a couple of familiars or even dispatch one of the subtler guards we have stationed here already."

 _Surveillance? Fallen angels. New Sacred Gear user._

"No… It's fine. I can handle it," Harry said after shaking his head a few times.

"Are you sure?" Sirzechs wasn't entirely convinced. "I know Serafall asks you for a lot, so if you feel like it's too much…"

"It could mean another Great War," Harry said resolutely. "We can't let that happen."

"On that, we agree," Sirzechs said. "I'll leave it to you, but let me know immediately if you need help. It wouldn't do for the servant to slack off while the Master works, after all!" With that, the man began channeling energy for his teleportation circle.

 _Master…_

"Sirzechs…"

"Hmm?" He paused in his actions.

"Is there any chance you can call me something other than that? Frankly, I think I'd actually prefer Grayfia's 'Lord Potter' obsession."

Sirzechs gave him a thoughtful look. "Well… alright. I mean, it has been almost ten years now." He nodded to himself. "Sure, Milord. Pleasure to be working with you!" He then left via teleportation before Harry could respond.

 _Milord, huh. Well, that's not as bad. What was I forgetting again…?_

Harry then returned his attention to the folders sitting on his desk. The top three were for Issei Hyoudou and his two cohorts in the Perverted Trio. Immediately below that were dossiers for the other seven Sacred Gear users. With another tap of his finger, a new dossier appeared, straight from the scouts who had reported her arrival. Paper-clipped to the front of the profile was a picture of a blonde-haired girl in a nun's habit. The name on the profile read Asia Argento.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei Hyoudou was having a fantastic week. Besides being killed, everything else had been better than he had ever dreamed of. He had a girlfriend for a couple of days, went on a date with her, then woke up in the service of one of the Great Ladies of Kuoh, Rias Gremory herself! What's more, he was apparently now part of a super-secret club that included the school's super cute mascot, Koneko Toujou, and the OTHER Great Lady of Kuoh, Akeno Himejima! Sure, the blonde pretty boy Kiba Yuuto was there too, but his presence could be tolerated. He also thought he saw another cute face hanging around the clubroom, but when he went to go check all he found was a tightly closed cardboard box that weighed a ton, so he left it alone.

Sure, his two buddies thought he betrayed them, but that was when he first showed them the picture of his new girlfriend. Who needed them when he rubbed shoulders with BOTH of the Great Ladies of Kuoh? Soon enough, they'd be begging him to be friends with them again. If Issei had his way though, he'd be rubbing a certain other part of their bodies…

Just as he let out the beginnings of a perverted laugh, Issei heard a surprised yelp from nearby and his cutie-in-need senses went haywire. Quickly rounding the corner of the house ahead, he turned to see a blonde-haired chick with bright green eyes rubbing her butt as she picked herself back up and stared, clearly confused, at a scrap of paper she kept rotating. His cutie sensor was never wrong. Being the good Samaritan and perfect gentleman he was, Issei immediately went to offer his assistance.

Upon approaching, he noticed the priestess or nun, for those were the only things she could be wearing an outfit like that, looked lost and was chatting at him in a foreign language he could not recognize. As he was about to attempt charades, something in his mind suddenly clicked and he found he was able to understand her.

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Issei Hyoudou. Are you lost?"

The girl started in surprise, before her eyes began to fill with unshed tears of happiness.

"Oh! You speak Italian! Thank the Lord for his guidance! It must be by His will that we met today!" she exclaimed.

Issei noticed a sudden headache every time the girl mentioned the big guy in the sky, but he had already gotten the talk from his peers, so he knew it was because of his newly-acquired devil heritage. Idly, he wondered if that was why he apparently spoke perfectly fluent Italian, if the girl hanging on to his arm like a lifeline had anything to say about it.

"Where are you headed, miss?"

"Oh, I'm going to a local church! This is my first day, you see. Oh, and you can call me Asia! My name is Asia Argento! Pleased to make your acqua-" _bonk_ "Hau!"

The girl comically rebounded off the light post they had just passed by after attempting to bow during her self-introduction. Issei could feel a sweat drop forming.

 _Is she… just naturally air-headed?_ he wondered to himself. He took a quick look at the scrap of paper in the girl's hand, then just as quickly dismissed it as being useless. Honestly, who even drew maps that bad anymore? Kuoh was a grid city for crying out loud!

Luckily for him, Issei knew this particular part of the city like the back of his hand. He lived here after all! The only church he knew about in the area was abandoned though. Could it be she was sent to renovate and restore it? That would mean he had yet another hottie in close proximity to his daily activities! He almost couldn't believe his luck.

 _If this is what Heaven is like, I should have died sooner!_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry couldn't believe his luck.

After asking a nearby scout guard for the last known location of the Sacred Gear holder Asia Argento, said guard told him she was following around a brown-haired kid who kept taking the opportunity to stare at her tits. Maybe it was his internal prejudice speaking, but Harry immediately contacted Rias and told her to lead him to Issei remotely.

Lo and behold. Target acquired. And it looked like the two of them were actually good friends. Harry could tell Issei was doing his level best to reign in his perversions. His best just wasn't very good. Still, it was the thought that counted. Who knows? Maybe one day he'll find someone just as perverted as he is and they'd be perfect for each other.

Halfway across the town, while serving tea to her club president, Akeno Himejima sneezed violently, almost spilling the tea.

"Ara, Akeno. Allergies?" Rias noted with some curiosity.

"No, Buchou. I just had a sudden sense of… camaraderie," Akeno replied in somewhat of a daze.

Rias quickly returned to reading her manga.

To Issei's credit, he wasn't taking any unnecessary detours or needlessly prolonging their time together. As far as Harry could tell, the pair was making a beeline for the abandoned church he could see in the distance. Unfortunately for him, this was the best chance he would get to observe the fallen angels without the Sacred Gear holder nearby. This called for a diversion. Thankfully, Issei was as predictable as he was perverted. One gentle compulsion charm later, Asia had admitted her sheltered upbringing to her stalwart travelling companion, who was appalled at the distinct lack of fun in the poor girl's life and decided maybe a detour actually was in order. Harry watched with satisfaction as Issei led the far-too-trusting young girl towards the arcade district to cheer her up.

 _Now then. Time to get to work._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The abandoned church was everything Harry expected it would be. Dark. Run-down. Dusty. Levitating to avoid stirring up dust clouds or leaving footsteps, Harry floated towards the back of the church, looking for any signs of fallen angels. He was not expected them to arrive behind him.

 _How did I miss them on the way here?_

The fallen angels, completely unaware of his presence, half-flew, half-walked to the pews nearest the altar in the back and plopped down on different ones. From his vantage point in the rafters, Harry could make out each of them in turn. There were only three total. The one closest to the front was a short girl with blond hair. She was dressed in Gothic Lolita style and had possibly the smallest breasts Harry had ever seen on a supernatural figure aside from Koneko, who had recently overcome her dissatisfaction with her body. The second female of the group was more par for the course. Ridiculously well-endowed, with long blue hair obscuring one eye. Lastly was the sole male of the group. To Harry, he looked like he walked straight out of an old crime or detective film, and dressed the part too. His bowler hat obscured his facial features, but Harry could make out short black hair. In his hands was a spear made of light, which he was twirling around irritably. None of the three spoke to each other, and there was no general air of solidarity either.

Harry expanded his senses to test their relative power. Weak. Just like Sirzechs said. Unless their leader was exponentially more powerful, or the Sacred Gear the nun held was indeed something on the level of a Longinus, there was no way this party was meant to accomplish anything significant. Satisfied with his reconnaissance for now, Harry cast a remote-listening charm on the church and silently apparated away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After spending a couple of hours at a nearby arcade and introducing the _Italian_ nun to the wonders of _pizza_ , Issei decided enough was enough and began to gently direct her towards the abandoned church once more. His self-assigned escort mission was cut short, however, when he saw a familiar face.

"Principal?" Issei asked confusedly. In his defense, this part of town was nowhere near either the school or Harry's residence (which Issei had no way of knowing), but it was still the first time he'd seen the principal outside of school hours.

Harry didn't seem to hear or otherwise acknowledge Issei's presence, instead turning a corner ahead of them. When Issei and Asia rounded that same corner, they came face to face with a dead-end alley.

"Huh?" "Eh?"

Both of them had seen the older man, though still extremely young to be a principal, turn into the alley, and there were no other entrances. They looked at each other and agreed nonverbally to pretend they saw nothing. As they turned around to leave the alley, Asia accidentally ran into someone else turning around the corner just as they had. The person Asia ran into reached out with a steadying hand before the girl could fall down.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Asia began to apologize. "I wasn't looking where I was going and thank for catching me and could you please let go you're starting to hurt my arm a little…" Asia looked behind her at Issei for some assistance and found him standing frozen, staring ashen-faced at whoever was holding on to her arm. Then the person spoke, in a voice that was way too sweet to be sincere.

"Why, Asia, is that you? I've been looking ALL over for you, silly girl!"

Asia looked back at the person she had run into only to see violet eyes filled with malice staring back at her. All told, she was a very attractive person, but the sadism she could see in those eyes told her that whoever this was, was not a good person at all. Having come to that conclusion, she began to tug on her arm more desperately, trying to get free.

"Oh, stop that already. We can't have you running off again and getting lost somewhere else, now can we? Or worse, getting _hurt_ ," the woman said cruelly. As she enunciated that last word, her grip on the nun's arm tightened considerably, and Asia felt as if her arm was breaking. Behind her, Issei snapped to attention once he heard Asia let out a small whimper of pain.

"HEY! You let her go right now!" he shouted while marching up to the, admittedly very hot, lady. Her eyes turned him off though, so he was more than happy to reach for the lady's arm with the intention of forcing her to let his newest, much more attractive in his opinion, friend go.

The woman only then seemed to notice that there was someone else in the alley. "Hmm? Run along, little boy. This has nothing to do with you." She shooed him away and turned to drag Asia back wherever she intended to go. Issei was having none of it.

"I said 'HEY!'" As he reached for her arm, she turned and effortlessly batted his own hand away, before viciously backhanding him into the alley wall.

"ISSEI!" Asia screamed. "You! You!... Leave him alone!" With that, she began to batter the fist of her free arm against the woman's head, but it did little except annoy her.

"Stupid little girl. Couldn't even make it to the church without help. No wonder you were excommunicated. If you hadn't healed good-for-nothing devils, no doubt you would have been thrown out for your stupidity." She raised her hand to knock out Asia, but found it grasped by someone else.

"I said… LET HER GO!" With that battle cry, Issei loosed his best haymaker into the woman's face. "Normally, I'd say it's a shame to ruin the face of someone as beautiful as you." Asia picked herself up quickly and hid behind Issei. "But bitches like you don't deserve the attention," he finished with a proud look.

The woman, who had been knocked to the ground, got up seemingly without a care in the world, before she let out an inarticulate scream of rage and lunged at the other two. Issei instinctively stepped forward to protect Asia, raising his arms in a cross-arm block, but the woman acted like she ran into an invisible wall and rebounded with even more force than she had originally used to approach them. Everyone present stared in confusion at what should have been empty space in front of Issei and Asia. The latter even tentatively raised a hand to feel for an invisible wall, only to find nothing.

Which of course pissed off the woman more. "YOU DARE TO MAKE A FOOL OF ME?!" She screamed. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell us."

"I AM RAYNARE! FALLEN ANGEL IN THE SERVICE OF- wait. Who was-"

"Say cheese."

"Wha-?" was all the woman had time to get out before she suddenly began clawing at her eyes as if she'd been blinded. Issei and Asia just stood there and watched the spectacle that was Raynare rolling around in apparent agony on the ground in the alley.

"Boo," a voice said right next to Issei.

"GAH!" Issei screamed, reflexively throwing a punch that the invisible stranger deflected easily.

"Contact Rias. Tell her to get Sona. Protect Asia," the stranger began saying.

"Wait wait wait. Who are you?" Issei asked. Asia timidly poked her head out from behind her protector's back and nodded eagerly to show she also wanted to know.

They heard the stranger sigh, but he did give them a non-answer. "I'm a friend of theirs. A fellow King that operates in the shadows even more than they do. Now go. I have to take care of sunshine here."

Issei didn't need any more convincing once he heard "fellow King." As far as he was concerned, only devils knew about Rias-buchou, and he had only found out that Sona-taichou was a King as well by chance earlier that day thanks to her hot elder sister blurting it out to him when they met.

"Come on, Asia. We're gonna go somewhere safe. I'll protect you," he said to her reassuringly. Asia nodded meekly and reattached herself to his arm as he led the way with hurried, but careful steps to make sure she didn't trip.

Harry watched them go with an odd sense of satisfaction.

 _They'll be good for each other_.

He then canceled the improved Incarcerous and Silencio spells he had cast on the fallen angel writhing around impotently on the ground. Upon sensing her newfound freedom, she immediately made to chase after the duo, but found her way barred by a man who appeared out of thin air. What's more, he was _floating_.

"Hello, Raynare. Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said amiably. Raynare tried to place his voice, but found herself forgetting what he sounded like as soon as he stopped talking. Similarly, she could not recall any defining features even though he was right there in front of her. "You don't know me yet, but we will get to be very good friends over the next couple of days. I can feel it."

Unable to act against the man for some reason, and also mysteriously unable to come up with any plan of escape, Raynare settled for the only act of defiance she had left. "Fuck you."

"Now there's an idea," the man said. "Unfortunately, or fortunately for me anyway, I'm engaged. I'll maybe get back to you though."

In the next moment, she found herself in a cave, sitting across from the man who she still could not identify. It was as if her eyes slid off of him every time she tried to make eye contact or focus on any aspect of his appearance.

"So Raynare. I'm curious," he began. She was about to repeat herself, but instead found words she did not plan on saying coming out.

"About what?"

"What _exactly_ are you and your little group planning on accomplishing here in Kuoh?" he asked. Again, she made to tell him to go kill himself, or at the very least lie, but every time she thought of lying, she forgot what it was she planned to say as a lie and ended up telling the truth.

"We were sent to monitor the abnormal numbers of Sacred Gear holders gathering in Kuoh. Under orders from Azazel, we were to report to him if anything seemed amiss."

"For example?"

"He was particularly concerned with anything that might restart the Great War between the Three Factions." Raynare could do nothing but scream internally at her own powerlessness.

"Interesting. So you're Azazel's spies. What did you want with Asia?"

"We have an experimental tool provided to us by General Kokabiel. It is used to forcefully extract a Sacred Gear from its host. The extracted Gear could then ostensibly be utilized by anybody."

Harry's eyes narrowed considerably when he heard this. "And is the host expected to survive the process?" He could see Raynare's eyes darting about, looking for an escape. Despite her struggles and attempts to keep her mouth shut, she said it all the same.

"No."

"I see. Then I suppose you can consider this karmic justice, Raynare," the man spoke while rising to his feet. The anger and helplessness in the fallen angel's eyes was quickly replaced with raw fear. What would this powerful Magician, for that was the only thing he could be, do to her?

"Sleep, Raynare. And when you wake, this will all be over."

And then she knew no more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei took the most direct path he could to the school while still avoiding narrow alleys where he could. Asia diligently followed along, having loosened her grip to his disappointment, only holding on to his hand now. Despite his best efforts, about three blocks away from school, he saw a man in a trench coat and bowler hat walk out to block his path. He couldn't have been a more obvious criminal if he carried a sign around proclaiming such.

He turned around, only to see two more figures behind him, both female, one significantly… bigger than the other, blocking the path back as well. He cursed under his breath.

"End of the line, boya," the man in the hat called out. "When we got tired of waiting for our boss to show up, we tracked her location and found out she's dead. Her locator chip's not transmitting anymore."

"How saaad~" the smaller girl said. Her Gothic Lolita dress added to the air of innocence she gave off at first, but it also added to the change in her expression to that of pure sadism. She summoned a pink spear into her hands and pointed it at Issei. "Now hand over the girl and nobody gets hurt."

"God, that was clichéd. Ow!" Issei exclaimed. The girl didn't take the comment well and threw her spear, impaling Issei through one of his legs while he was distracted with the pain of uttering the Lord's name as a devil. "AAAH!"

"ISSEI!" Asia shouted for the second time that day. This time, though, she quickly knelt down beside him and applied her hands to the wound. In front of the shocked expressions of all the fallen angels and Issei, the light spear dissolved back into nothingness and the wound began to close, albeit slowly.

The man standing in front of them was the first to recover, and quickly rallied his compatriots. "Don't just stand there! Get her while he's disabled!"

Springing into action, the little girl conjured another pink spear while the larger, blue-haired one conjured her own, yellow-brown spear. The man conjured his own blue spear and dived towards the vulnerable couple on the ground.

Issei threw his arms and entire body over Asia in a last-ditch effort to protect her, but again his efforts were proven unnecessary as a lightning bolt shocked one little girl, the larger one was forced to duck a large chunk of concrete, and the man found his lunging thrust parried by none other than Kiba Yuuto.

"Three-on-one while your opponent is downed? Not very honorable are you?" he remarked candidly. "Then again, I'm not sure what I expected from a bunch of FALLEN ANGELS!" He finished his sentence by thrusting the nondescript longsword he had used to parry the light spear into the ground. All at once, more swords of various shapes, sizes, and styles seemed to burst forth from the ground like weeds underneath wherever the male fallen angel attempted to stop. Eventually, he took off and remained in the air.

Issei looked over in the direction of the school to see Akeno hovering in midair, blowing smoke from one of her fingertips before sucking on it erotically when she noticed him staring, causing him to quickly avert his gaze to the last of his rescuers, Koneko, who had already uprooted a nearby tree and was aiming to throw it at the bustier fallen angel she missed previously.

"Issei! Are you okay?" Kiba asked, holding his hand out. Issei gratefully took it and let himself be pulled to his feet, keeping a wary eye on the man who was still floating in the air nearby. He then reached his own hand out to Asia and pulled her up as well. It was only after she was on her feet that he realized his own leg was completely healed.

"No way…" he said as he examined his formerly-impaled leg.

"Kalawarner!" the male suddenly barked. "Retreat! Grab Mittelt." He then turned and shot off into the distance, a bolt of lightning chasing him but narrowly missing over his right shoulder. The blue-haired fallen angel likewise stopped only long enough to toss an errant light spear at Kiba to prevent him from closing in effectively, before attempting her own escape with her ally in tow. Unfortunately for her, Akeno's aim was more accurate this time around, and caught her in the arm holding her teammate. She cried out in pain as she dropped the blonde fallen angel, abandoning her and retreating off into the same general direction as the man before her.

When she arrived, Koneko clicked her tongue in annoyance. Akeno seemed oddly happy to have successfully zapped two and caused one to drop the other, further injuring her. Issei decided discretion was the better part of valor and instead went to inspect the blonde fallen angel with Kiba.

"Where's Buchou?" he asked.

"Rias-buchou is currently meeting with her older brother and Sona-taichou about some recent developments. Someone sent them a message telling us you would be coming though so she had us wait outside and keep a lookout," Kiba shuffled a little when saying this. "We would have seen you sooner and arrived before you were injured if the fallen angels hadn't set up a ward to keep us at bay. Luckily, Akeno saw through it and was able to break it pretty quickly with Gasper's help."

"Gasper?" Issei questioned.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you haven't been introduced yet. Don't worry, we'll do formal introductions later." He then turned to Asia. "Are you okay, miss?"

Asia immediately squeaked and hid behind Issei again. Kiba had a forlorn look on his face at that reaction for a split second before he smiled and tried again. "Umm. Miss? Are you okay?"

Asia peeked around Issei at Kiba and nodded. Issei shot him a glare for scaring Asia and he raised his hands in mock surrender.

A faint pop then sounded behind Asia and she whirled around to find nobody there.

Then a man appeared out of nowhere, saying "So, what'd I miss?"

Predictably, Asia screamed again, landed a solid slap on the man, then proceeded to fall into Issei's arms in a dead faint.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Asia is my friend's favorite DxD character. Mine are the duo of Koneko/Shirone and Kuroka, but alas, we will not be seeing much of the latter in person any time soon.

There are and will continue to be clear inconsistencies in the story. Rest assured they are all proofread several times and completely intentional. The only time it's a mistake is if someone is acting completely OOC or gets credit for something they clearly did not do.

In the next chapter, Issei awakens his Sacred Gear, Rias gets a new Peerage member, and everybody meets Gasper!


	5. EX2of5 Ch3 - Sacred Gears

**Chapter 3 – Sacred Gears**

 **(Excalibur Arc, Part Two of Five)**

* * *

 **Day after the summoning**

"Rise, Grayfia Lucifuge. How are you feeling?"

The nude woman lying on the king-size bed opened her eyes slowly before sitting up. Harry made it a point not to look anywhere but her face. She looked around in a daze before she noticed she wasn't alone. To her credit, she took being brought back to life surprisingly well. Her attention focused solely on the cloaked man before her, whose features she couldn't quite make out even though the room was brightly lit and the man wasn't wearing any obscuring clothing. Combat senses honed through years of war started to kick in.

"Who are you?" she asked testily. "Where is the Commander?"

"There are many answers to the first question, but the only one that matters is 'I am the Master of Death'," the man replied calmly. At that, Grayfia felt her eyes widen. "As for Sirzechs…" The man made a motion towards the closed door, and it opened to reveal a very familiar face, though he seemed ever so slightly older than she remembered. Sirzechs walked in and approached the bed, kneeling down so that the two of them were face-to-face.

"The War is over, Grayfia. Long finished," he began. Harry could see him fighting back tears already and turned to leave. Sirzechs no doubt recognized Grayfia's unique magic signature the moment he pulled her soul from the great beyond and placed it back in her magically-preserved body. It was probably only a combination of disbelief and respect for his clear instructions not to enter the room until the door was opened for him that stopped the man from forcing his way in as soon as he could sense her. Harry, satisfied that the soul had settled back in and that there would be no further complications, took his leave.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

True to his word, there was indeed a house constructed for him in the place that was an empty lot only hours earlier. The house was modern, with a gently sloping roof. Harry walked in as the door opened before him and noted that Sirzechs had even provided furniture and a few house decorations.

The first thing Harry did after a cursory examination of the house was lay down so many wards around the property that God himself would have been given slight pause before being able to force His way through. The second was to remove any other existing magical additions to the home. Harry didn't fault Sirzechs for making a valiant attempt to spy on him somehow, and so wordlessly let his magic dismantle the many spell circles littered throughout the building. Most of them, he assumed, were the equivalent of listening bugs, some might have even been capable of feeding visual information. He found one particularly well-hidden circle in the living room and relocated it to the kitchen table. He also left the one in his bedroom intact in case he needed to contact the other man, although he hijacked it so it functioned more like a communication circle that could be turned on and off.

Satisfied with the extent of his work, Harry took one step out of his newly-warded and enchanted house and found himself back in the foyer of the main Gremory Manor. Blinking his eyes in confusion for a moment, Harry made doubly sure he hadn't accidentally transported himself here.

"Harry Potter, I've heard much about you."

Harry's attention was drawn to the entrance of the west wing of the mansion, where he saw an older version of Sirzechs standing at attention. The man stood with his back ramrod straight, dressed in what Harry recognized as clothing befitting a Duke of Hell. His red hair gave away his relationship to his son, and his angular face was framed with a short red beard kept in immaculate condition. Seeing that, Harry bowed before returning his greeting.

"You must be Zeoticus Gremory," he said, and was happy to see the other man had reacted positively to the lack of formal address. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, Harry. I was hoping I could get your help with a small task," Zeoticus said. Harry forced himself to relax his guard. It wasn't like the other man was being at all threatening.

"Oh?"

"You've met my son, Sirzechs, of course. But I would like to introduce you to his little sister." With that, the man stepped aside to reveal a little girl hiding behind him that Harry hadn't noticed was standing there. She couldn't have been much older than maybe seven or eight, even by devil standards. Harry knew that devil children roughly matured at the same rate as human children, only slowing the aging of their physical appearance once their powers fully matured. She stood about a full meter shorter than her father, who was around Harry's height, and had a head full of red hair like the rest of her family. Clutched in one of her hands was a fluffy brown rabbit doll, while the other hand held tightly one of her father's pant legs. The girl didn't seem to appreciate scrutiny from a stranger and tried to hide behind her father again, but said man was having none of it.

"Now, now, Rias. This is the man Daddy told you about," he chided gently, maneuvering the girl so that she stood in front of him. Harry tried smiling at her, and counted it as a small victory when the bright-eyed little girl didn't instantly break eye contact. He could see the curiosity starting to build in her. Surely, she was a mischievous troublemaker, or would become one later as she grew older.

"What is this task you would ask for my help with?" Harry asked, somewhat cautiously. Even if devils were vastly different from demons, Sirzechs made no secret of the fact that they still loved combat. He wasn't keen on renting his services out like a mercenary. In fact, his plan was to lay low for the next year, and then, hopefully, vanish into the pages of history.

Seeing his apparent willingness to at least be cordial, Zeoticus grinned widely before pulling out a thin, wooden box from his coat.

"How much do you know about the Evil Piece System?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Wrong," Harry stated flatly. He turned the King Piece in his hand over a few more times before putting it back in its spot amongst the other chess pieces laid out before him.

"Wrong how?" the man sitting across from him asked, eyes glinting. This man, as Harry learned a few weeks ago, was Ajuka Beelzebub, famous inventor and genius among devils. It was he who initially developed the Evil Piece System, a prime example of which was laid out on the table.

"I'd need to see an actively-bonded devil to be sure. Maybe a few examples of failed conversions or backlash, but the idea behind the System is sound," Harry said.

"You can tell how the Pieces work?" Ajuka asked with some amazement.

"A master-servant relationship by imprinting the owner's magical signature on whoever receives the Pieces," Harry responded, confirming Ajuka's assertion. "The problem is devils aren't at the top of the magical food chain. But not for the reasons you're probably thinking." Hearing that, Ajuka leaned forward in his chair.

"We are aware of the dangers of attempting to subjugate entities that cannot be bound in the first place, but there shouldn't be that many examples of races that possess magic denser than that of devils. Most of those examples are either extinct or very close to it." Ajuka paused. "We are very careful to warn younger devils about possible dangers. And yet, we still have cases of bondings that should have succeeded going horribly wrong."

Harry gave the whole set a contemplative look. His attention was briefly drawn by a rabbit doll he saw hopping around in the edge of his vision, accompanied by the muffled laughter of the red-haired girl playing with it.

"Are you aware of exactly what it is your Pieces do when they force two people to exchange magic with each other?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The master-servant bond inherent in the System fails when a weaker master attempts to subjugate a stronger servant. That much is a given. But it doesn't fail because the master's magic isn't powerful enough to assert dominance over the servant. If dominance was all that was needed, Rias could feasibly establish such a bond with her older brother if she really wanted to and Sirzechs let her," Harry said. Ajuka smiled wryly, but his expression quickly shifted to troubled.

"So what's going wrong?"

"A reciprocal magical exchange. Keyword being _reciprocal_. That's what you have created," Harry said. Ajuka listened with rapt attention. "When a bond fails, it's not because the person on the receiving end failed to accept the giver's magical signature. Instead…"

"…You're saying the master wasn't powerful enough to accept the return magic? How is that different from the master's magic simply not being powerful enough?" Ajuka asked. "The end result seems the same."

"Not so," Harry was quick to counter. "Sirzechs is massively more powerful than the majority of angels. But he could never turn one of them into a devil against their will. Their holy energy is incompatible with his devil nature."

"No angel would ever accept such a deal in the first place," Ajuka responded, somewhat defensively. "Despite how some devils may use them, the Pieces were not designed to force servitude on unwilling parties to begin with."

"Then how about you and me?" Harry calmly asked. Ajuka raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I am capable of suppressing my power to an extreme degree. So much that you would end up several hundred times stronger than me. Regardless, you could never add me to your Peerage."

Ajuka studied Harry for a few seconds.

"Your magic is too dense. I can tell." Ajuka concluded.

"Not quite true," Harry responded. "You interpret my magic as being 'too dense' because you cannot discern its nature. In fact, devil magic is much more 'dense' than the magic of wizards and magicians."

Ajuka got a vague feeling the man wasn't talking about the Magicians he was familiar with, but set that aside for the moment and kept silent while Harry continued to elaborate.

"In fact, devil magic is among the densest in existence."

"Then what did you mean when you said our magic wasn't at the top of the food chain?"

"Your magic, despite its density, has natural counters. Holy magic neutralizes it by default. Dragon magic is wilder and distorts it, since your magic is more structured. Divine magic has more authority and overrides any conflicting effects when the two come into conflict."

Ajuka listened with both skepticism and amazement. He'd never even heard of magic being referred to as "wild" or possessing "authority" before. At least, not in the context the man he was listening to seemed to be talking about it.

"What would you recommend then?" the devil asked.

"Implement a failsafe. A sort of detection system that automatically blocks bonding if the Piece is forced to channel incompatible magic," Harry began. "Also, maybe have that same system control which Pieces are allowed to be used in the first place. Link it to the master's core and it can measure how much he or she can handle. If you incorporate something like this into the whole set, you can even have the Pieces unlock themselves as the devil grows stronger. Spontaneous Mutation, as you've told me about, might occur more naturally."

The more he said, the more convinced Ajuka became that the idea floating around in his head was a good one. With his mind made up, he interrupted the younger-looking man.

"How would you like to make a deal, Harry Potter?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present**

Harry absentmindedly rubbed his cheek as he sat in a comfortable armchair in the Occult Research Club's main room, watching Issei go through a midlife crisis in his teens. Next to him, Asia lay on the couch, looking up at Rias curiously. Standing next to the two of them, Rias had her glowing set of Evil Pieces out, channeling her magic into them to judge Asia's capacity. Slowly, her remaining Bishop floated from the box and sat itself on the nun's stomach, causing said nun stare at it in wonder.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Harry asked her.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," she responded shyly. "Issei protected me, and I don't have anywhere else to go… Oh, not that I want to go anywhere else, that is! I want to be with him! Err-" The girl blushed adorably. "I mean, I don't want to leave Issei. I really like him! Wait. I like him more than I like anyone else I know? Ummmmm. Hauuuuu~"

Harry watched with a mixture of amusement and fascination as the girl slowly worked her way up to internal combustion before Rias gently laid a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Harry could tell she was trying her best to rein in her enthusiasm at recruiting the host of such a useful Sacred Gear as Twilight Healing into her Peerage, but she wasn't entirely successful. Not that he blamed her. The ability to essentially reverse time on any injuries? It was a divine alternative to his own magical cheat code of overwriting his existence whenever he "died." She lacked any other combat abilities of note, but if the size of her magical core was any sign, Harry suspected she would become a competent magic user with time. He then turned his attention to the other Sacred Gear hosts in the room.

Kiba Yuuto, formerly named Isaiah, was standing next to the window, looking outside at the dreary weather. His Sacred Gear, Sword Birth, allowed for the creation of Demon Swords with various properties, such as the ability to absorb fire or resist magic. His favored weapon was a longsword he called Holy Eraser. The sword's special ability allows it to absorb and nullify holy energy to an extent, though Harry knew it was not enough for Kiba to achieve his goal as an avenger. He'd had that discussion with Kiba already, though. The Knight was fast, predictably skilled in various styles of swordplay, and chivalrous, a disadvantage in battle he actively fought to overcome, refusing to lower himself to the level of many of his enemies. Still, he had proven at least once that he knew when it was time to put victory above all else. Unknown to most outside of Rias' Peerage and Harry, he was also capable of small-scale devil magic specializing in the manipulation of sentient organic matter. Specifically, his Knight Piece had unlocked a branch of self-reinforcement magic, though the most Kiba could currently do with it was make his body slightly more resilient to operate at higher speeds.

Next was Issei Hyoudou, still in the midst of his midlife crisis, muttering "It can't be" to himself over and over while huddled in a corner looking away from the cause of his trauma. His Sacred Gear was still unidentified, but Harry had his suspicions. Said suspicions only grew stronger when he felt the Gear react negatively to his probing magic aura. His cloak rippled on his shoulders protectively, making Harry smile. A brawler at heart, the eight-Pawn (two Mutated) servant was sure to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. In the present, though? There was… room for improvement. His magical core was perplexingly almost nonexistent, even after the exchange in which the portion of Rias' transferred to him via his Evil Pieces should have made an enormous difference.

 _A mystery to be solved in the future_ , Harry thought.

Finally, the subject of Issei's dismay, Gasper Vladi, standing behind him and looking down at him worriedly. A shut-in Dhampir dressed in the standard Kuoh Academy girls' uniform complete with miniskirt and thigh-high socks, with platinum-blonde hair styled in a bob cut and a flat chest, Gasper had immediately been compared to Koneko by Issei during formal introductions when the group arrived back at the clubhouse. This earned him a very flat look from the offended girl and a small blush from Gasper. Only Harry's hand on her head prevented Koneko from committing a very regrettable crime. Of course, it was at that moment that Kiba chose to drop the bombshell and traumatize Issei, who had been eyeing the blushing student. Said Dhampir was male. Issei had immediately adopted a look of utter horror and disbelief, looking around to the others for confirmation. Upon receiving it, he let out an agonized scream and went on a nonsensical rant about cruelty and unfairness in the world, before promptly retreating to his corner with a broken expression.

Harry took a picture and sent it to Serafall. She'd find it funny.

Gasper was the host of the Sacred Gear Forbidden Balor View, which allowed him to stop time in a limited area. He was unique in many ways, cross-dressing habits aside. Prior to the addition of Issei, he was the only member of Rias' Peerage reincarnated with a Mutated Piece, a Bishop. He was also the only member of Rias' Peerage Harry did not personally reincarnate since he was busy with other things at the time. His reincarnation on the brink of death combined with his abusive and sheltered upbringing resulted in severe mental trauma that manifested in the form of agoraphobia and anthropophobia towards anyone but Rias. In other words, he had an irrational fear of open spaces coupled with an equally irrational fear of other people except for Rias.

When he saw Rias again, she tearfully begged him to help her "poor servant" overcome his fear so that he could be happy. Needless to say, the sealed room built for Gasper in the Occult Research Clubroom was rendered unnecessary by the time Rias started attending Kuoh.

Gasper's combat abilities were largely unknown and untested, since he had never actively participated in any form of combat despite encouragement from his fellow Peerage. He had an innate talent for darkness magic, and his control over his Sacred Gear was much improved from his state before and immediately after his near-death experience, but he still had trouble applying said control within any reasonable amount of time. He could project a temporal stasis field around himself on command that worked even on Harry and maintain it for several minutes, but he could not selectively stop objects or people. Having never seen or practiced with him, Harry's knowledge of the Dhampir's magical prowess was limited to secondhand reports and dossiers. Still, he concluded, Gasper was an asset to be sure. The natural strength his race gave him would also throw off people who attempted to engage in close-quarters combat with the tomgirl expecting an easy win.

His examination of the Sacred Gears within the other members complete, Harry turned his attention to the remaining two members, one of whom was happily curled up in his lap, with his hand resting between the two white cat ears situated on top of her head.

Koneko Toujou, formerly named Shirone, was a Nekomata. In fact, she and her older sister Kuroka were part of a rare, substantially more powerful subspecies of Nekomata known as Nekoshou. Her sister was the first and only known member of her species ever part of a devil's Peerage, a victim of a failed bonding with her Piece that supposedly drove her insane since devil energy was incompatible with Senjutsu, the natural energy of the world Nekoshou were known for utilizing in combat. At least, that was the reason Harry and Ajuka gave posthumously. Only a very select few people knew Kuroka still lived, and exactly two people knew where she was. Harry was not one of them. After the lone survivor of the extermination party sent to hunt her down returned, Sirzechs announced publicly that she had been successfully killed at great cost, and that her little sister Shirone had been returned to the Nekomata. Said Youkai race then retreated to live in peace and isolation in Kyoto. Several months later, Rias gained Koneko as a Rook in her Peerage, although she often complained that the little girl acted like she was Harry's servant whenever he came over. Residual mental trauma prevented Koneko from using her innate talent with Senjutsu, but she trained diligently in a variety of martial arts to make up for it.

The last remaining member of Rias' Peerage was Akeno Himejima, a fallen angel, human, and now devil hybrid. An otherwise excellent example of the stereotypical Japanese Yamato nadeshiko, or the "ideal woman," she was a closet sadomasochist who wielded magical lightning to deadly effect. Her Fallen heritage caused only one of her wings to become the bat-like wing associated with devils, which is why she often hid both in favor of magically-assisted levitation. At least, that was the case before the kidnapping.

The very first member of Rias' Peerage and her Queen, Akeno was ironically not the first one Harry saved. That honor went to Koneko. Instead, Harry's intervention to save her life took place about the year she and Rias began attending Kuoh Academy. The two of them had been the target of an assassination by the former's relatives and enemies of the Gremory Clan. The combined attack was not planned or coordinated, the two forces just so happened to attack on the same day, at the same time. Rias escaped unharmed. Her Queen was not as fortunate. Taken captive by insurrectionists, the attack marked the beginning of a very short and doomed attempt at overthrowing the Four Great Satans. Sirzechs led the charge with his Peerage at his side, and all of the would-be revolutionaries were either dead or dying not twenty-four hours later.

Akeno, however, was not found until about an hour after the battle was over. When Sirzechs came across her body, he immediately contacted Harry via their unique master-servant bond while also calling for Ajuka and Rias. Harry arrived on scene in time to see Rias empty her stomach.

Akeno had been experimented on. To be more accurate, the Evil Piece within her had been magically tampered with to the point of irreparability. Of course, in order to make alterations to said Piece, embedded within the body and closely tied to its host's magical core, the insurrectionists required… direct access. Harry was the first to notice the lethal build-up of magical energy in the Piece, and acted just fast enough to shield everyone present against the resultant explosion, which leveled the entire devil hospital they were in the basement of, on top of several surrounding buildings. In one of these buildings was Sirzechs' Bishop, MacGregor Mathews, who had been incapacitated by the initial magical release due to his hypersensitivity, and thus could not save himself from the building collapsing on top of him.

The fallout of the explosion was more than just physical though. All unprotected Evil Pieces were irrevocably damaged. Which meant they needed replacing. By some miracle, Akeno and Mathews were the only reincarnated devils caught in the blast. Both were immediately placed in stasis and moved to a hospital in the capital city. Replacing Mathews' Piece was relatively simple. Sirzechs was powerful enough to survive the backlash from severing his connection to his existing Bishop and bonding to another one. With some help from Harry, Mathews was on his feet in short order and thanked them both, swearing that he would make it up to Harry somehow.

Akeno's situation was much more bleak. Rias would not survive the backlash from severing the connection to her most powerful Piece, much less have enough power to support bonding a second Queen afterwards. But Ajuka had a solution. He presented Harry and Sirzechs with what he called the Proto-Queen. In truth, it was the prototype to the Queen Piece given to Sirzechs upon special request at the end of the Civil War. Said Queen Piece was designed to create a bond of equal partnership rather than one of subservience, and Grayfia bore it proudly as Sirzechs' wife. The original idea behind the creation of the Piece, however, was to circumvent the problem presented by reciprocal magical exchange by ensuring that no such exchange ever occurred. Instead, it would be a one-time, one-way gift of power from the owner to the Piece's would-be host. As such, the host would be converted to a devil and bonded to the accompanying King without any risk to said King. The drawbacks were that the King would of course receive no power in return, and the resultant Queen would not be as powerful or as "pure" as a true devil. Everyone else present agreed the benefits of the option far outweighed any drawbacks.

There was still the problem of the existing Queen Piece, but Harry told them he had a way. After leaving him and Akeno alone for a couple of minutes, a tired-looking Harry opened the door and walked past them out of the room without a word. Inside, Akeno slept peacefully on the bed, healthy as ever, no sign of the Queen Piece. Rias was able to bond with the Proto-Queen without any issues, and waking up and reincarnating Akeno with her consent was accomplished shortly thereafter. An unintended but no less unwelcome side-effect of using the Proto-Queen caused Akeno's remaining black angel wing to become that of a devil as well. Every so often, Akeno would feel a tingly sensation on her back and check her wings to find that they had both become Fallen again, but they would just as quickly shift back to normal, so everyone who knew about it dismissed it as a quirk of her new Piece.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It took Harry a few minutes to realize he had fallen asleep at some point. He sat at one of six seats around a round conference table in Kuoh Academy. Across from him sat Sirzechs, with Grayfia standing behind him, Ajuka, and Azazel with his feet up. To his right, Serafall had her head on his shoulders, similarly asleep as he just was.

"Welcome back to the waking world, lovebird the third," Azazel teased. Sirzechs shot the Fallen a dirty look as he caught the other man wiggling his eyebrows suggestively in his and Grayfia's direction. Harry paid it no mind. There was no point in arguing or denying the truth.

"Where were we?" he asked, his mind already sharpening into focus. He carefully adjusted his shoulder so that Serafall didn't slip off, with some assistance from his cloak.

With that, Azazel returned his feet to the ground.

"How sure are you that Kokabiel is responsible?" he asked seriously.

"Straight from Raynare. Her memories check out," Harry replied. Azazel cursed under his breath.

"Then it's time for me to reveal my secrets," he said regretfully. Sirzechs and Ajuka looked at the Fallen man suspiciously.

"Secrets?" the latter asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes. Mine, and Michael's," the man replied solemnly. "About two weeks ago, four fragments of Excalibur were reported stolen from their high-security locations at churches around the world. Just last week, two exorcists were dispatched as part of a larger team led by Griselda Quarta to recover them," he said to the widening eyes of his listeners. "Just yesterday, one was found critically injured, without her Excalibur fragment, and the other was reported missing. Griselda Quarta herself is also currently unaccounted for, while the rest of her team has been confirmed to be killed in action."

"How could you keep something like this a secret, Azazel!?" Sirzechs thundered. "We had an agreement! If those Excaliburs end up in Kuoh…!"

"They won't," he replied calmly, though his expression was still grave. "At least, not all of them."

"Explain," Ajuka demanded.

"Heaven was prepared," Azazel said, his expression loosening just slightly. "Of the Excalibur fragments guarded by churches, none are authentic. All well-forged fakes. Powerful, but not real."

The room relaxed slightly, but Harry and Ajuka both thought of the next question. With a shared glance, Harry voiced it.

"And the ones wielded by the exorcists?"

Azazel's grimace was back in full force. "Real," he said simply. "In fact, Michael and I have reason to believe the theft of the fake shards was part of a ploy to lure out the real ones. Ms. Quarta was supposed to be insurance. Either we underestimated the enemy's abilities, or something went wrong."

"My money's on 'something went wrong,'" Sirzechs commented. "Griselda Quarta is a celebrated swordswoman, one of Heaven's strongest exorcists. I'm willing to bet she's either in the middle of rescuing the missing exorcist, or in pursuit or possession of the missing shard."

"That's what I thought as well, and Michael agrees with me," Azazel said, "though he's told me he can't track either of them for some reason, even with the instruments in Heaven."

"There are ways to hide from divine magic," Harry added. "The easiest is to go somewhere chaotic, or summon the chaos to yourself." Just as holy energy was the natural antithesis to devil magic, chaos energy negated most instances of divine magic just as easily. The reason nobody used it was because it invariably drove users insane. Simply being around or in the magic itself though, was actually revitalizing and caused one's magical reserves to refill more quickly. Ley lines were naturally-occurring examples of chaos magic at work. The energy itself was often equated with and called "natural energy," and was the byproduct of other magic, hence why areas with a history of conflict tended to lie on top of strong ley lines. It was a classic chicken-or-the-egg. Since there were ley lines there, people fought. Since people fought, ley lines were created.

"Anywhere that stands out?" Ajuka asked the wizard, knowing his mage sight could see things the rest of them couldn't.

Harry was silent for a moment before slapping the palm of his hand to his face.

"I swear, if they're already here…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry was interrupted from his thoughts by the sounds of consecutive explosions occurring outside the clubroom. Koneko's ears twitched irritably and she reluctantly lifted her face from the side of Harry's chest to look the same direction Kiba and Gasper had directed their attention.

"They're already here," Harry said simply. "Called it."

Rias watched her surrogate uncle lift Koneko gently (was she pouting?) off of him before rising from his seat.

"What's happening, Harry-ojisan?" she asked. She was surprised with how calm she was acting as the building shook around her.

"Don't worry about it, imouto-in-denial," he replied, causing her eyebrow to twitch slightly. His next words, though, made her forget all about his name for her and instead shattered the calm she was feeling. "Just an Excalibur fragment."

"WHAT!?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The rest of the room looked at him as if he were crazy, before breaking out into laughter, although it was slightly forced on Ajuka's part. Grayfia simply let out a quiet chuckle before recognizing that resigned look on her benefactor's face. Her aloof expression was quickly replaced with one of worry.

"Ahahaha, good one, Milord," Sirzechs said between bouts of laughter.

"Yeah, as if they somehow got here already, through seven different ward schemes, and all of our combined scouts and spies," Azazel continued.

Ajuka's remarks were significantly more sarcastic. "Yeah, it's not like they have a world-renowned exorcist with them, right?" Sirzechs stopped laughing. "After all, it's not like Kokabiel would be able to circumvent the wards somehow, right?" Azazel stopped too. "And… it's not like the ley lines here are anything special… _right_?" he finished, looking at everyone else. His face had grown steadily more serious as we talked.

"If they are here, we need to minimize potential dangers and run damage control immediately," he said authoritatively. The other devil and Fallen nodded, while Harry began regretfully nudging Serafall awake. "I'll check the wards. Azazel, go pick up Raynare and her lackeys and meet us back here. Then contact Michael and establish a center of operations so we can communicate." Azazel nodded and got up to leave. "Sirzechs, we could use some more muscle, but we have to be discrete. Grab whoever's free in your Peerage. Mine won't be of much help." The man nodded and left in the light of a crimson teleportation circle. "Harry…"

"I'll go keep an eye on Rias. Serafall can keep Sona and her Peerage company for a while," Harry said. Serafall, despite still being half-asleep, perked up when she heard she'd be spending time with her So-tan and left without asking any other questions, but not before giving Harry a quick peck on the cheek and a bubbly "See you later, Harry-chan~!"

Ajuka nodded and teleported himself away as well. Harry shook his head and got up, making his way over to the Occult Research Club's building.

"I wonder if Asia's awake yet." His cloak rippled in silent laughter.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!" Rias screeched. Koneko made an exaggerated motion of cleaning her ears out, before reattaching herself to Harry's side, much to Rias and Issei's mounting jealousy. It was only afterwards that Issei registered the principal had been referencing him.

"It'll be good for them both. Plus, we'll all be watching over them just in case," Harry reassured her.

Kiba gave Rias a look of determination she found hard to deny, so she let out a quiet sigh.

"Fine. ONCE," she acquiesced. The gratefulness she could see in her Knight made it worth it in her mind.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Xenovia Quarta had no idea why her mentor ordered her to go to this dilapidated old building and make some noise, but she had learned long ago not to question orders. Thus, she was too preoccupied with the task of deforesting her surroundings to notice the blonde-haired young man and his brown-haired companion trying to get her attention.

Said blonde ran out of his admittedly short patience and decided a loud challenge followed by a feint was an appropriate method of communication. He had to hurriedly duck the reflexive counter slash by her much larger weapon, but his actions had the desired effect.

"Who are you?" the woman asked. Issei stared without shame at the exorcist's tight, form-fitting combat uniform, which her white cloak did absolutely nothing to hide. His eyes absentmindedly traced her curves from bottom to top until they came to rest on angry brownish-yellow eyes framed by short blue hair with a streak of green for some reason. It was then that he noticed the _freakishly large sword pointing at him._

"Cur!" the woman accused. "How dare you violate me with thine eyes so!"

Kiba, who was tired of being ignored even though he was the one who got her attention, decided to speak up.

"My name is Kiba Yuuto," he introduced himself. "I would like to ask you for a duel."

Issei and the exorcist stared at him in confusion, before the latter shook her head and turned away.

"I refuse. My master has assigned me a very important mission," she said.

"What mission?" Issei inquired.

"I am to create as much noise as possible in the vicinity of that building," she said as she indicated the building in question, with the rest of Rias' Peerage, Rias, and Harry looking out the window at them, "and attract the attention of those within."

At that, both Kiba and Issei gave her incredulous looks.

"Uhh. I'd wager you were successful," Kiba offered. "We were in that building until we came out here to investigate the noise."

Xenovia turned back to them once she heard that. "Truly? Then I have succeeded!" she said happily, nodding to herself in satisfaction.

"So…" Issei interrupted again. "What now?"

Xenovia paused. "I… don't know. I was not given further orders."

Kiba wanted to facepalm, but was polite enough not to do so. Issei had no such restraint.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

There was a flash of light.

"Harry, I just got finished checking the wards, and…" Ajuka started saying.

"Shhhhhhhh!" before he was shushed by six other people. He stared in bemusement.

"Check the conference room. I think Ms. Quarta is waiting for you," Harry remarked. After a few more seconds of observing the spectacle that was five women and one man crowded around a window looking at the two male members of Rias' Peerage talk to what looked like an exorcist, holding- WAS THAT EXCALIBUR?

Ajuka's eyes bugged out, and he was about to demand an explanation before he found himself unable to speak, courtesy of Harry. The rest of the group didn't even turn around or acknowledge his presence, which Ajuka found slightly odd.

"Long story. Missing exorcist. Unresolved issues. Everything's under control. In case it didn't register the first time, _Griselda Quarta is in Kuoh Academy_ ," Harry said without looking behind him, stressing the last part by speaking slowly and deliberately. This time, Ajuka's brain registered what it was being told, and he swiftly transported himself to the source of holy energy he could now detect in the main school building since he was so close.

"Honestly," Harry said. His cloak fluttered in agreement, and Koneko redoubled her efforts to leave a permanent imprint of her face in his side.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I suppose I can deign to impart a portion of my fencing prowess," Xenovia said after introducing herself.

"Fencing?" Issei questioned. Wasn't fencing what they did with those really thin, pointy swords?

"Will thou and thy partner come at me together, or shall we duel first?" she asked haughtily. Issei didn't know about Kiba, but super-attractive woman or no, that sounded insulting. But before he could say anything, his fellow Peerage member said, "A duel, if you please," while shooting him a look filled with so many different emotions Issei couldn't make out all of them. Still, he wasn't so dense as to miss the pleading part. Respecting his fellow man, Issei took several steps backwards and away from the two of them, until they stood alone in the clearing Xenovia had made through her earlier efforts and he at the edge.

"Very well," Xenovia said, raising Excalibur Destruction. "En garde!"

And with that, and an inarticulate scream of _something_ from Kiba, the duel began with a resounding clash of blades.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry watched as Kiba slowly lost ground in his hopeless battle against the Excalibur shard wielded by the blue-haired exorcist. His favored blade had already been broken several times over, and any other swords he made met with the same fate. It was not that he was an inferior swordsman. If this were a contest of skill, Kiba would have already won, and fairly handily in Harry's opinion. The exorcist was by no means an amateur, but having sparred and lost to Kiba before without either of them using any abilities, Harry could attest to the young man's borderline-prodigious skill with a blade.

Unfortunately for him, Excalibur was too strong. Harry could see the frustration and defiance in Kiba's eyes. The knowledge that he was going to lose and the determination to see his goals through to the end anyway.

Such a sad story could not be allowed to exist in Harry's opinion.

So he gave Kiba some advice.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei could only grit his teeth as another of Kiba's swords shattered in his hands, and he was forced to throw himself to the side or risk a debilitating injury to his right sword arm. Truthfully, the amount of swords Kiba had gone through boggled Issei's mind. Equally amazing was how seamlessly his self-proclaimed rival swapped between sword styles, sometimes gripping a blade in reverse, others dual-wielding, and even adopting a modified kendo stance. But nothing seemed to work.

Slowly, but steadily, Kiba was losing ground. Despite all his skill, all his efforts, he still bore more injuries than his opponent, who looked as if she could keep swinging that monster of a sword around all day without tiring. Worse, she was smirking as if this was only to be expected. Issei wanted to stomp over and wipe that smirk off her face. If they were using normal swords, Kiba would have been the one walking all over her. Even with next to no knowledge of swordplay, Issei could tell that the woman was all power, no finesse. There was a modicum of skill involved, but only so far as what Issei could tell was probably something from a textbook. The woman returned to the same rigid set of stances after any blow. Stances he had seen Kiba use sometimes throughout the battle as well, but Kiba had infinitely more of them. Also, she only ever swung in rigidly-defined straight lines. There were no feints. No fancy footwork. Certainly nothing like that four-sword maneuver he saw Kiba pull to score the only clean hit he had managed to land.

Whenever Kiba went on the offensive too much, the woman would turtle up and use the gigantic sword purely to deflect blows. Even coming into contact with it caused Kiba's swords to crack and break, so it was a valid method of defense. She would then punish him by quickly striking back with a return slash or a kick. That was another thing. Kiba only ever used his swords. The woman was perfectly fine with punching, kicking, and at one point even attempting to headbutt him when they initially locked blades.

But then, he saw something shift in Kiba's swings. He saw the sword Kiba always used, glow ever so slightly, move just a bit faster. And he saw Kiba himself stomp his leading foot on the ground uncharacteristically, seemingly bracing himself as he swung. He let out a wordless cry. And when the sword finally came into contact in that infinitely small moment of time, it _exploded_.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Xenovia found her guard being blown wide open, against all expectations.

 _What was that?! The sword exploded!_

It wasn't the first time. Her, admittedly worthy, opponent had used a variety of swords up until this point. She memorized the looks of a few of them. Two had the side effect of either causing explosions or exploding itself on contact, but neither of them had exploded like that. And the explosions had affected her opponent just as much. She could tell since he winced ever so slightly whenever they went off.

As she looked into Kiba's eyes now though, with her sword knocked above her head and her lower body completely vulnerable, she saw a hard glint of determination as another copy of the same sword began forming in his hands. Hands which were mysteriously undamaged.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _It worked._

He could tell. She was wide open.

" _Your self-reinforcement is extremely limited. You can only make yourself slightly more durable."_

He knew. He absently noted the state of his damaged clothing, with small shards of metal embedded in the fabric, dangerously close to penetrating the skin of his torso.

" _What happens when you try to make Holy Eraser more powerful?"_

The container becomes fragile. He had experimented before. There were clear limits to the swords he could make. All were Demonic in origin. None could exceed a certain capacity, no matter how hard he tried. And why would he ever make a sword more easily broken?

" _You have exploding swords. I know you do. Why don't you use them more often? Aren't they much more powerful?"_

It costs too much. He hurt himself with every use. It cost him more magic to produce those swords as well. The trade-off was rarely worth it.

" _If you could negate self-damage, would that make the swords worth using?"_

No. Even if he could, he had less power-intensive swords with more versatile effects. Brute force was not his style. Besides, his reinforcement was an all-or-nothing deal. He couldn't selectively reinforce the parts of himself that would sustain the most damage. Even then, the additional cost of self-reinforcement would offset the damage he saved himself from.

" _Remember, Kiba. Remember when you were helpless. When nothing you had in your bag of tricks worked. Remember when you threw it all away."_

He did. It was his most vivid memory. His most treasured memory.

His own personal nightmare.

" _When nothing else works, Kiba, what will you do?"_

"When all of this is over, Kiba, what will you do?"

In that instant, Kiba swore he heard the voices of his friends in his ears.

"I… I…!"

Make. Slash. Slash. Make. Parry. Make. Sidestep. Feint. Slash. Make. _Break_.

He saw his opponent stagger backwards in shock. Saw her guard get blown wide open once more. He threw it all away.

All he could see was that sword.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei watched as Kiba lashed out with a vicious kick, catching Xenovia in the shin and causing her to go down on one knee. Her sword, the Excalibur, sunk into the ground in front of her as she lifted her head to see exactly what she expected. A sword pointed at her forehead. Within her guard. Far too close to redirect or avoid.

"I… yield."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rias was silent as she watched Kiba. The rest of her Peerage had already left, summoned by Sirzechs to the faculty conference room. Only she and Harry remained.

"Is that… what he keeps hidden?" she asked in a small voice.

"A small part, yes," was the reply.

"That's… small?"

"His hatred runs deep, Rias."

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were filled with an equal amount of grim determination. She turned to face Harry.

"Then I guess it's our job to see him through it to the end, right?" she said with a smile.

"Attagirl," Harry said, returning the smile and ruffling her hair, to which she responded with a pout.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I feel kinda… extra," Issei remarked as he watched the two swordfighters, still frozen in their respective positions at the conclusion of their duel.

"The word you're looking for is 'superfluous,' Issei," a voice sounded from behind him.

"GAH!" He lashed out with another reflexive punch, which was deflected again.

"Are we going to be making a habit of this, Issei?" the voice said. Issei spun to face the direction he thought it was coming from.

"YOU! INVISIBLE GUY!" he shouted at thin air.

"Me," the voice confirmed. Issei could tell the man was close to laughing.

"What do you want? Rias-buchou isn't here," Issei said after calming down.

"That's quite alright," the voice responded. "After all, I'm here for you."

Issei paused for a moment before backpedaling. "Woah woah woah woah woah! I'm not into guys like that!" he practically screamed while waving his arms around. "Gasper doesn't count!"

The intrusion of Issei into their makeshift dueling arena seemed to snap Kiba out of it, as he let his sword dissolve into motes of light. He turned away without talking to his opponent, and instead addressed his companion.

"Issei, who are you talking to?"

"Kiba? I'm talking to… uh… an invisible guy?" he said, feeling stupid.

Kiba gave him a look. He kept the look up for about ten seconds before he remembered there was in fact someone he knew that could turn invisible.

"Potter-sama?" he asked tentatively.

"That's me," the voice said in a chipper tone, from right next to Issei.

"GAH!" Punch, deflect.

"Three strikes and you're out, chap. Sorry," the voice said. Issei felt a slight drain on his energy, then suddenly felt extremely tired. In a matter of seconds, he had slumped against a conveniently-nearby tree stump and was snoozing. Kiba stared at Harry in bemusement after he de-cloaked.

"Why-?"

"Rias was looking for you, Kiba. Everyone's been summoned by Sirzechs to the faculty conference room. Why don't you go meet up with them?" he suggested cheerfully, cutting Kiba off.

Kiba looked like he was about to keep talking, but in the end decided to leave Issei in more than capable, if entirely too mysterious, hands. He didn't spare a single glance back as he walked off. He never noticed his wounds were mysteriously gone, or that his opponent had vanished without a trace. The clearing had repaired itself as well, though the trees were still cut down.

Harry then knelt down in front of the sleeping Issei, and touched his forearm. Immediately, a red gauntlet with an inlaid green gem materialized out of thin air on it.

"Hello, Ddraig. Long time no see," Harry greeted casually.

The gauntlet seemed to flash angrily. His cloak almost radiated smugness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Earlier that day**

"Vasco Strada?" Ajuka whispered.

"Yes. Without his aid, we would not have escaped," Griselda responded, her eyes closed.

"And where is he now?"

"Unknown. We were separated after the attack."

"Who?"

"They called themselves, the 'Hero Faction.'"

Ajuka wrinkled his brows. _"Hero" Faction, huh._

"There's more," Griselda said, her voice somehow becoming even more solemn.

"What else?"

"Their leader held the True Longinus. And they weren't alone."

Ajuka stopped breathing for a moment. "So it's true, then. Kokabiel is just the beginning."

Griselda nodded silently. Ajuka took no more than a moment to gather his resolve before speaking again, drawing a wooden box out of a coat pocket and handing it to her.

"Get to Michael immediately. Heaven's going to need this."

She looked at him in confusion before examining the box in her hands. She stopped when he put his hand over hers, and looked up at him.

"The next time I see you Griselda, I expect to see your wings."

Her eyes widened in realization before she smiled at him.

"I guess I'll owe you a flight… Ajuka."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

In the next chapter, the last of the Three Factions appears, Kokabiel realizes he might be ever-so-slightly in over his head, and Koneko and Serafall get major head pats. Also, Irina.


	6. EX3of5 Ch4 - Promises

**Chapter 4 – Promises**

 **(Excalibur Arc, Part Three of Five)**

* * *

" _How many does this make now?"_

 _The Resurrection Stone flashed three times._

" _Three generations, huh?"_

 _Another flash. Dimmer this time._

" _Yeah, I know. Rest in peace, Harry Potter."_

 _His attention was redirected to an unfamiliar presence. Soundlessly, Harry apparated a few meters._

" _Who are you?" the wizard asked the elderly man standing in the back of the crowd, pointing the Elder Wand at him. He did not recognize the man, and he had memorized the faces of every guest who was invited to his funeral._

 _The old man gazed at him strangely._

 _"I'm just here to observe. To watch," he replied._

 _Harry didn't like the sound of his voice. Everything about him rubbed the wizard the wrong way. Harry's eyes seemed to slide off of him every time he tried to focus on any part of the other man. When he looked at the front to make sure nobody noticed the two of them, Harry found he could not remember the person at all. In fact, he was slowly forgetting a person was ever there. He quickly looked back and found that whoever or whatever he was looking for was nowhere to be found. Why was he here again?_

 _Thankfully, he was not alone. The Deathly Hallows were quick to remind him, though they had to keep doing so._

Mind magic? Some kind of targeted memory charm? _Harry thought._

 _They suggested he research the topic. It wasn't like he had much else to do, right?_

Yeah, I'll look into it, _he agreed._

 _Thus, one year later, Harry Potter placed the first of his enchantments on the Cloak of Invisibility._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Nine and a half years ago**

"So… when's the wedding?" Sirzechs asked, swirling his drink around.

"Wasn't it in October?" Harry asked back, a glass of the same drink in his hand.

Sirzechs gave him a look.

"I meant YOUR wedding, not mine."

"I'm not engaged," Harry pointed out.

"Y'know, you're lucky the conception rate of devils is so low," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Behind the couch the two of them were sitting on, Grayfia's eyebrows started twitching. It was Harry's turn to deadpan at Sirzechs.

"I don't appreciate that insinuation. Also, cut the act; you aren't drunk."

"Ruin my fun, why don't you," he said with a small laugh. Then his expression turned serious. "Serafall loves you."

"No, she doesn't," Harry immediately snapped. "She's hurting, and Sona happens to get along with me well. I think it's because I let her beat me at chess."

"Keep telling yourself that. Sona's a well-known prodigy among her family members, and you beat her first try. She's only gotten better," Sirzechs said.

"She's eight."

"Exactly. Wait, don't change the topic."

Harry remained silent. Sirzechs took a long sip of his drink. When he came up empty, his Queen/fiancé/maid/subordinate Grayfia dutifully refilled it. She made to refill his drinking partner's glass too, but he declined.

"I think it's time I got back to my project with our good friend Ajuka here," Harry said while indicating the passed-out man on the floor. "I'm close to finishing the spell matrix for measuring differences in magical cores."

Sirzechs blinked at him stupidly. Grayfia sighed.

"…Right. Thank you for the drink and the invite. Have a good evening, Sirzechs, Grayfia."

With that, the man vanished with his signature quiet popping sound. Sirzechs idly remembered asking why he made that sound when he apparated. Harry had told him it was a holdover from the distant past. He could teleport silently when he wanted to, since he wasn't really teleporting in the first place, but for the sake of politeness and nostalgia, he wove a specific charm into his spell to go off whenever he did.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep now, old friend."

Ajuka's eyes opened slowly as he stood up from his previous position on the floor. Grayfia was ready to refill his glass the moment he picked it back up from the table.

"Thank you, Grayfia," he said before sitting down where Harry sat a minute ago.

"Do you think it worked?" Sirzechs asked.

"I don't think this was even needed, Sirzechs," his friend replied drily. "Serafall is growing on him, whether he knows it or not. She's been gone for a month on business, and Harry's visibly more depressed when we're working together."

"Really?"

"Yes. Besides, Serafall's too stubborn to just give up," Ajuka said before drinking more.

 _Didn't stop her with me_ , Sirzechs thought to himself. He was about to take another drink, but a swat over the head caused him to splash his drink in his own face. He wiped his face off with a handkerchief helpfully provided by Grayfia before shooting a questioning glare at Ajuka.

"I know what you're thinking, Sirzechs," he said, staring defiantly back at Sirzechs. "You gave up on her. Not the other way around."

Sirzechs knew it was the truth, so he huffed and leaned back in his seat after setting his glass down. He was done for the night.

"Do you think she's asked yet?"

Ajuka downed the last of his glass as well and set it down on the table in front of them.

"No. If she did, I'd give it three days before he said yes," he said confidently.

"No way," Sirzechs said.

"She'll ask when she gets back. Three days after, I dare you to ask Harry if he's engaged."

"And if he isn't?"

"I'll do your paperwork for a month," Ajuka said with a small smile.

"Deal!" Sirzechs said with a cocky grin, offering his hand.

"And if he is, you offer to appear on Serafall's show anytime Harry does," his friend returned, grasping his hand before the other man could retract it.

Sirzechs' grin faded a bit, but soon returned. Even if he lost, it wasn't like Serafall could persuade Harry of all people to appear on a magical girl show, right?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Will you marry me?"

Harry's thought processes halted for a second before he looked at the person who had just asked him that question. Serafall was wearing her usual magical girl outfit, but her staff was nowhere in sight. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair wasn't styled in the usual twin tails, instead just falling straight down her back. Harry absently noted to himself that she was still beautiful.

"Usually, it's the man who asks," he said by way of response. Serafall didn't seem to appreciate his attempt at humor, only continuing to look at him. It took him a few seconds to realize she actually wanted an answer.

"No, Serafall," he said. "I will not marry you. I do not know you. I do not particularly dislike you, but nor do I really like you. This is only the third time I've spoken to you." Harry then turned back to tweaking the Evil Pieces sitting on his desk. When he heard the rustling of clothing, he sighed deeply and snapped his fingers before turning around again to look at a fully-dressed and pouting Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Great Satans of the Underworld.

"I find you very attractive Serafall. But your reaction to Sirzechs and Grayfia getting engaged was over-exaggerated the first time I heard about it three months ago, and it's even more so now. What would Sona think?"

Serafall had the good grace to look at least a little sheepish, so Harry continued to talk.

"Also, why do you insist on bothering me about it? I know you have _female_ devil friends who would be happy to lend a more sympathetic ear. And shoulder to cry on. Do you know how angry the cloak got the last time you cried all over it?"

"But Harry-chan!" Serafall started complaining childishly, like she always did. "Sirzechs wouldn't play with me and our little sisters!"

Harry was about to continue his lecture, but that gave him pause. Sirzechs never refused to play with Rias. Maybe there was actually something going on this time.

"Huh. Okay. Do you want to bring them over to play here?" he offered.

Serafall perked up instantly. "Really? Yay! I'll be right back!" She gave him a quick hug, rubbed the cloak on his back a bit, and teleported away. Harry just shook his head. Why Serafall didn't just ask that from the beginning baffled him. It wasn't like it would be the first time the two kids had spent time with "Uncle Harry."

In his fingers, he idly twirled the Proto-King Piece.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Explain to me how this works again?" Ajuka said while studying a diagram.

"There are four main schools of magic. Theological, elemental, spiritual, and conceptual," Harry began with practiced ease. "The first consists of the magic used by devils, angels, and other entities you will find mentioned in various religions. Devil magic uses unholy energy, whose natural antithesis is holy energy, which is used by angels. Put simply, theological magic as a whole draws on the power of worship."

"And energies of opposing natures neutralize each other and return to… raw magic? Which is used in conceptual magic?" Ajuka said.

"Correct. And raw magic is poisonous to all but the most ancient and primordial entities. This is why holy energy is lethal to devils. It neutralizes the unholy energy present in their bodies and the raw magic left over kills them."

"But devil magic isn't instantly lethal to angels?" Ajuka said confusedly.

"That's because what most devils use is actually elemental magic. If someone took pure energy from a devil's magical core and used it on an angel, it would produce the results you're thinking of," Harry replied.

"I see. Interesting. How is it we didn't know about this before?"

"The knowledge has been lost. Not because it was particularly dangerous or obscure, but because it was deemed largely unimportant. No doubt angels have a much better, albeit still rudimentary understanding of the magic they use, but demons only needed to know the most efficient methods of killing."

Ajuka hummed noncommittally before a question occurred to him.

"What magic is Sirzech's Power of Destruction? Since it erases things from existence, would it be conceptual?"

"That's what I had hoped," Harry admitted. "But I know now that it is not. Devils have lost touch with the divine aspect of their magic from the time of demons. The only conceptual magic demons were ever capable of was dependent on that. His magic is elemental. The element just happens to be 'destruction.'"

"Such an abstract concept can be an element?"

"Most concepts can be an element. True conceptual magic embodies the meaning behind the concept as it is accepted by the majority of sentient beings."

"And you say you have power over the conceptual magic of death?"

"…Yes," Harry said after a long pause.

"Doesn't that make you instantly lethal to everything around you? Is there even a way to neutralize concepts?" Ajuka asked warily.

"Only when I use it," Harry replied. "Most of my magic is spiritual, based on will and my soul. And yes, conceptual magic is neutralized by itself."

"You know I plan on gifting you your own set of Pieces after this, right?"

"Despite my insistence otherwise, yes."

"Will you be able to complete the reciprocal magical exchange with anyone?" Ajuka asked. Then realization dawned in his mind. "…You won't, will you?"

Harry was silent.

"What if Sirzechs succeeds? Will you lose the aspect of conceptual death in your magic?"

"Yes, if he succeeds," the wizard said.

"…But, he won't. Your artifacts embody true death," Ajuka said. His voice became strained. "Why haven't you told him?"

He received no response.

"Is it because of Grayfia? Sparing him his emotions won't help," Ajuka began to raise his voice, trying to provoke a response.

Harry remained silent. Ajuka's anger seemed as if it was about to boil over, but then he suddenly calmed down.

"You won't do it."

Harry smiled.

Lessons from before, when Harry told him bits and pieces about the past, about different types of magic. About one particular type of divine magic.

"Sirzechs swore to the contract, but you swore an oath, didn't you?"

In the end, Ajuka only asked one more question.

"Why?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Will you marry me?"

Six months of peace and quiet. Gone. It had been nice while it lasted, but he'd also be lying if he said he didn't miss her.

"Serafall, you've asked me that every hour of every day for the past three days."

"And?"

"My answer hasn't changed."

"Then I'll change mine."

Harry finally paused in his work and turned looked at her. She had her hand outstretched.

"You can't. My magic would kill you."

She didn't move. He could see her eyes. They were hard.

"Serafall, you have suitors. Fellow devils. Good men. Men that love you for you. Men you've known for years, even."

Silence. She took a step closer and reached for the Proto-King Piece. Just as she was about to make contact with it, Harry closed his hand, hiding it completely. She ended up looking into his eyes, with her hand on his closed fist. She slowly brought her other hand under it so she was cupping his fist with both hands.

They stayed like that for a while. Serafall could see the emotions fighting each other in Harry's eyes. Harry could see only determination in hers. Determination, and a great deal of stubbornness. He closed his eyes and sighed. The first of many he would sigh over the course of the next ten years. He opened his eyes, and she saw the conflict had settled. He saw hers fill with hope.

"She gets that from you, y'know?" he said while a smile slowly spread across his face.

To his dismay, Serafall began crying.

"It's okay… she's my So-tan… after all…" she said in between bouts of tears. Deciding that now that they were engaged, he should probably act more like a good fiancé, Harry drew her into a hug and rested one of his hands on her head, rubbing gently.

A few minutes later, Serafall heard the tell-tale flutter of paper. She cracked one eye open to see a square piece of parchment floating over from Harry's work desk. She watched the paper curiously while enjoying the sensation of having her head patted. No wonder Sona loved him so much.

"What are you doing with that summoning circle, Harry?" she asked.

"Calling Sirzechs back."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present**

"Issei-kun, that can't be good for your teeth," Gasper cautioned.

The sound of teeth grinding together only grew louder. Akeno giggled at her underclassman, while Rias sighed. Asia looked between him and the latest subject of his ire, and decided she could do something to help. Mustering her courage, she threw her arms around him. The act was enough to snap Issei out of his angry glaring and make him blush. He soon settled down though, with his eyes closed in bliss and the occasional perverted chuckle escaping his lips. Kiba looked on with disapproval.

Nearby, Genshirou Saji practically radiated jealousy upon seeing the treatment his fellow Pawn was receiving. He looked hopefully at the other members of Sona's Peerage. Tsubaki Shinra subtly edged closer to Kiba and avoided eye contact, while Tomoe Meguri did the same, but in Gasper's direction. Gasper noticed, unlike Kiba, and was doing his level best to match her edging step-by-step in the opposite direction. Tsubasa Yura wasn't paying attention and just staring out the window. Reya Kusaka smiled and waved when she noticed Saji's pleading look, but almost immediately resumed watching Kiba, dashing the boy's hopes.

Saji finally saw potential for reciprocal affection from Momo Hanakai and Ruruko Nimura, both of whom were already walking over to him, but the trio was stopped by a polite cough and stern glare from Sona. The poor boy cried crocodile tears.

Harry watched the byplay with a familiar feeling of amusement and exasperation, before looking down at the two girls seemingly competing for the title of "closest to Harry." What's more, both seemed to take the name of the contest literally. He turned his head so he could see Sona to his far left, only to get a sense of déjà vu. Maybe she got that look from him?

"Serafall, Koneko, not that I don't love and appreciate you both, but I do have some preparations to take care of."

The two people he was talking to instantly forgot their competition and joined forces to give him the mother of all puppy dog eyes assaults. He felt his will crumble immediately.

 _You would think I would gain some resistance to it after having so many daughters…_ he thought to himself. His cloak, currently folded so that both girls could use it as a pillow, communicated to him mentally, chiding him for his silliness.

 _Of course, what was I thinking? Every man is vulnerable against cute girls._

"Harry-chan, I know you used that magical hourglass earlier. You can't fool me~" Serafall sing-songed.

Hearing that, Koneko looked at him with an expression that was both accusatory and hurt. It pulled at his heartstrings.

With a mighty sigh, he wrapped both ladies up in his arms and decided he could sit still a while longer. His cloak approved, but was also slightly indignant about being reduced to a glorified pillow for the three of them. Said ladies took his actions as a sign of surrender, and settled back down to cuddle.

Grayfia watched all of this with a happy smile from a corner of the room. She noted her sister-in-law biting her lip while looking at Harry and was worried for a moment before she realized the redhead was staring at Koneko. Her worries transformed into alarm when Rias seemed to make up her mind and marched over to join Harry and his two cuddle buddies on the couch. Harry looked at her in bemusement, and she refused to meet his eyes as she wrapped her arms around the little white-haired girl. Koneko just sighed in contentment.

Harry met Grayfia's eyes when he looked over to her corner, and smiled apologetically. The woman wearing a French maid uniform returned his gaze coolly and made a discrete hand sign only he could see. It was the universal sign for a communication circle. She was satisfied to see his eyes widen slightly in panic.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sirzechs crushed the communication circle in his hands. It didn't quite have the same impact as crushing a mechanical device since the circle was just made of light. Still, it was the spirit of the thing.

Ajuka, standing next to him, regarded his oldest friend with an air of resignation.

"Let me guess. Rias?"

" _ **Milord**_ **and I are going to have a talk when I return…** Ow!"

"Stop that. It hurts my ears."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kokabiel surveyed the landscape below him as he floated just below cloud cover, confident his shielding and obscuring wards would keep him safe and hidden. When his eyes settled on the school in the distance, he sneered.

 _Soon. Very soon_.

He turned and made to leave, but rammed face-first into an invisible wall after travelling a few meters. The initial bout of anger quickly turned into confusion when, upon approaching the point of impact and reaching a hand out, he felt nothing. Warily, he advanced slowly several more meters with his arms outstretched like a blind man, but met no other resistance.

Anger returning at having been humiliated, he quickly accelerated to his top speed and retreated in the direction of his hidden base.

Not even a second later, inarticulate screams of rage could be heard following the sound of a cartoon-like " _BOING!"_ that resounded through the city.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Above the cloud cover, an invisible Harry laughed his ass off watching the Fallen below him bounce off an invisible wall every time he exceeded the speed limit on the ground.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Did you hear that?" Sirzechs asked.

"Hear what?" Ajuka responded. He had been busy working his Kankara Formula to alter the wards and noticed some strange interference in a particular area. When he used the remote viewing function, he saw nothing and chalked it up to an error.

His Formula had the tendency to do strange things when he used it on Harry's magic. The first and only time they sparred, his attempt to take control of one of the wizard's so-called "stunners" somehow resulted in a magical flashbang that caused the two of them to randomly lose access to one of their senses for hours at a time. This lasted a week.

"I think I heard a 'boing.'"

"Sirzechs, if you're setting up some stupid pun involving any parts of the female body, I swear I'm telling your wife."

"…That's not funny, Ajuka."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Kokabiel finally made it back to his base, he was in a sorry state. All of his subordinates knew better than to comment on it though. All except one.

"What the hell, you shitty crow? What, did you fly through a fugly tree on the way back here?"

The question came from a man dressed as an Exorcist. If not for his crazed grin, he might have been considered handsome with his shoulder-length gray hair. He wore an open blue coat that reached past his knees, a plain high-collar white shirt with blue accents, and matching white pants. His left hand held a gun, while his right held a pristine white English-style broadsword with golden accents.

Kokabiel took a calming breath, telling himself it would be detrimental to his plans if he killed this annoying man.

"Did you finally lose your hearing, old man? I'm talking to you!"

 _Then again, would it really hurt my cause that much…?_

He was brought out of his thoughts by a different voice shouting at the Stray Exorcist.

"FREED SELLZEN! STOP WAVING THE EXCALIBUR FAKE AROUND!"

"EEEEH? YOU WANNA GO OLD MAN?"

Hearing the two voices of some of his strongest subordinates caused Kokabiel a small amount of despair.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"How in the bloody Hell have these guys made it this far?" Harry wondered aloud from his vantage point above the nondescript warehouse. He was listening in via a remote listening charm, and his mage sight let him see through the un-enchanted walls. A rookie mistake on their part.

"Ne, ne. Harry-chan. Are you sure I can't just smite them?"

"…Annoying. Foul."

Floating next to him were his fiancé and… surrogate little sister? He wasn't sure what to call Koneko. What was she to him, really? An extremely affectionate pet kitten?

As if sensing his thoughts, Koneko met his eyes and blushed slightly before looking away.

Serafall noticed and looked at Harry with narrowed eyes.

Harry just shook his hand frantically and faked a series of coughs before looking back down at the supposed "first wave" of whoever was trying to restart the Great War. Honestly, he couldn't see how these clowns had any chance of success even if Sirzechs hadn't committed half his Peerage, Ajuka placed his Kankara Formula on constant alert, and Azazel wasn't present with a force many times the size of Kokabiel's. Not to mention if the Fallen warmonger waited any longer, Michael would arrive with select elites from Heaven and plunge his chances of success even further below zero.

"How exactly does this hourglass thingy work, anyway?" Serafall asked, poking at the miniature hourglass on a necklace. Koneko indicated her interest in the question with her eyes, holding an identical hourglass on a necklace.

"Looks different," Koneko noted.

"What you're holding is a Time-Turner," Harry started speaking in his teaching voice. "It's a prime example of raw magic being shaped by the will of the world. In this case, the 'sands of time' inside the hourglass enable it to bend the laws of time. Normally, you'd be able to go back in time and mess around, but ever since the raw magic that fuels it ran out…

"Well, now it just lets you temporarily be in two places at once by constantly sending your actual existence back infinitely small increments of time and rewriting your space-time position while keeping your ontological information intact and synced up…"

He got two blank looks in response and sighed.

"Maaaaagic~" he said, wiggling his fingers. Serafall giggled, while Koneko just pouted for a moment before she was unable to hold her own smile back.

"Looks different?" Koneko repeated, with a more questioning tone.

Harry held his own, more intricate Time-Turner, in his hands.

"Well, mine is special. I guess you could say I broke it by… almost dying after I used it but before I arrived back at my original point in time."

He found his hand grasped by both girls, who glared at each other for a moment before, by some silent agreement, Koneko let go and grabbed his other hand. Serafall nodded in satisfaction. Both of them could tell Harry had lied, but neither wanted to know which part was the lie so they let the topic drop.

"So why're we here if we can't actually do anything?" Serafall asked.

"Bad listener," Koneko deadpanned, earning her a mock glare from Serafall. "Excalibur."

"That's right. Good job, Koneko!" Harry said with exaggerated happiness. He withdrew his hands from both girls' grasps and used one to pet Koneko. Serafall looked on jealously. Harry's head pats felt good, darn it! And was she purring?

"Anyway, she's right. We're looking for the stolen Excalibur Mimic," Harry said, still petting Koneko, who at this point was lost in her own blissful little world. Her ears and tail had long since revealed themselves. She didn't even notice when Serafall began stroking the soft fur on her additional appendages, instead purring even louder.

"Can we keep her, Harry?" Serafall asked cutely.

"You'll have to ask Rias," Harry replied flatly. Serafall pouted because she knew Rias would never agree to give her Koneko. But maybe she could persuade Koneko to ask? Who could be so heartless as to refuse the catgirl when she was like this?

"It's not here."

Serafall had to take a few moments to recover and mentally reboot from the distraction that was Koneko's purring.

"Does that mean we can leave now?" she asked.

Harry sighed at her apparent laziness, but couldn't really blame her. This was pretty boring.

"We could," he drawled. "Or… we could keep petting Koneko."

Serafall thought that was a much better idea.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Serafall?" Harry asked, still situated as he was between Serafall and Koneko.

"I have this sudden urge to pet Koneko…" the magical girl Satan muttered.

The girl in question blinked a couple of times thoughtfully, before concluding she didn't care if Harry's future wife wanted to pet her. If anything, it would encourage him to join in.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"It's time," Kokabiel said.

"FINALLY!" Freed shouted. "LEMME AT 'EM!"

Next to the Stray Exorcist, the former priest Valper Galilei rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Yes…" he said. "Time to show the world the power of MY Excalibur!"

In the sky above them, Harry paused in his petting to glare coldly down at the priest. His was a gaze devoid of any emotion. Silently judging.

 _Death comes, Valper Galilei._

Serafall and Koneko, when they noticed his inaction, looked up at him only to freeze in shock as they their innate fight-or-flight instincts failed them. The expression was gone in the next instant, but neither girl could relax. Without a word, he drew them both into a hug, where Koneko began shivering. Serafall recovered much more quickly and hugged both him and Koneko, rubbing comforting circles on the smaller girl's back.

"Is he…?" Serafall whispered.

"He is marked," Harry stated. Serafall had never heard this particular voice before. It didn't sound quite like the Harry she knew and loved. She decided she didn't much like this voice and got his attention by lightly knocking her head into his shoulder. His cloak protested. When he looked down at her, she kissed him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _It cannot be…_ Kokabiel thought. _That feeling. I KNOW that feeling!_

He looked at his compatriots and wondered which fool had the spectre of Death looming over him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Kokabiel! What a surprise!"

Kokabiel could only look at his superior officer in abject shock. He had stayed behind, letting the rest of his force strike the initial blow against the school's defenses before committing himself if they encountered any difficulties. Azazel just smiled cheekily. His shit-eating grin was widening by the second.

"A-Azazel… Sir…" he stammered out.

Normally, he wouldn't care. Azazel was one man. Kokabiel wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could defeat his leader in a fair fight, but nor was he overly worried about his chances of escape. But Azazel wasn't alone. Behind him, Shemhazai and Baraqiel each had looks of disappointment on their faces as they wielded their respective powers of tainted light and lightning. More than that, rows upon rows of his Fallen brethren flanked each leader.

"Now then," Azazel began, his easy grin turning into a dark scowl as his own power began gathering around him, blotting out light in the visible spectrum, "Who are you working for?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"They're here," Harry said, sending a meaningful look at Kiba. "He's here."

Wordlessly, the blonde stood up from his previous position, where he was leaning against the wall. He nodded twice, the first in acknowledgement at Harry, and the second in thanks at his King.

"I will go," he said simply.

"You can't miss them. The Stray Exorcist looks crazy and has a gun in one hand and a replica Excalibur in the other. Galilei will be nearby," Harry said. The rest of the room watched in silence, though Rias was worriedly chewing her lip.

Kiba nodded one last time before walking out the door, Rias' gaze following him the whole way.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

With a blinding flash of light, Michael descended upon Kuoh Academy… and was confused when he couldn't sense a single soul around. Behind him, his sister Gabriel and her newly-christened Queen looked around warily.

After a few more seconds of silent vigil, Griselda noticed something.

"Where did Irina go?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ajuka appeared moments after Kiba left, accompanied by Surtr Second and MacGregor Mathews of Sirzechs' Peerage. The latter acknowledged Harry with a deep bow. Sirzechs himself followed shortly afterwards via a separate teleportation circle.

Looking around at everyone in the room, the redheaded man showed a grim smile.

Sona had a look of determination. Her entire Peerage stood behind her in quiet support, sporting much the same faces. Saji in particular clenched his fist in front of his chest, his hand partially hidden by his Sacred Gear's half-guantlet.

Rias schooled her expression of worry for her errant Knight into one of forced calm and nodded when she met her brother's eyes. Akeno stood behind her, already having changed her clothing into her combat miko dress, her own eyes shining in anticipation. Gasper looked frightened, but was doing his best to put on a brave front. Issei looked more nervous than scared, but he soon adopted the same stance as Saji, minus Sacred Gear.

Koneko and Serafall rose from the couch first. Koneko's features were hidden again, though her yellow eyes glowed slightly. Serafall's normally aloof attitude was noticeably absent, and her magical staff was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a series of twin magic circles radiating frost covered the length of both of her arms.

Sirzechs locked eyes with Harry last. The wizard rose from his sitting position almost lazily. They nodded at each other before Harry vanished into thin air and Sirzechs spoke.

"Well, let's get this over with."

Nobody noticed Serafall's hands trembling.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Who are you?"

"Umm… oops?"

"AHAHAHA MORE LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER!"

"I know you… Kiba Yuuto!"

"Valper Galilei, I-"

"Irina?"

"Xenovia!"

"Serafall!"

Everyone stared at the magical girl in confusion, wondering where she came from.

"We… aren't shouting our names out?"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

In the next chapter, unwanted guests come along and ruin best laid plans. But, before that, Kiba puts his past to rest and Issei actually uses his Sacred Gear for the first time!


	7. EX4of5 Ch5 - Death

**Chapter 5 – Death**

 **(Excalibur Arc, Part Four of Five)**

* * *

"The soul is not meant to withstand death, not built to withstand it."

"We have noticed a general increase in mental instability when reincarnated devils are brought back from the dead, yes. But a significant portion of reincarnations are performed on those near death or recently deceased, with consent. Almost all of the resultant devils recover. The process of conversion itself even stops the reincarnated person's heart temporarily."

"Stopping the heart is not equivalent to spiritual death. What you call reincarnation is nothing more than a conversion of the soul's nature to accept unholy energy. When conversion is performed on a dying soul, the result is unstable."

"What would you have us do instead? We have scant few healers, and none of them can resurrect people like you apparently can."

"Your best option is to include a stasis-inducing spell in the Evil Pieces. Have the conversion process take place while the soul is not decaying."

"We don't know how to cast spells on the soul."

"But Sirzechs tells me you have an alliance with people who can."

"'Alliance' is a strong word. Try 'mutual non-aggression pact.' Why can't you just do it?"

"My spiritual magic is shaky at best. Most of my abilities specialize purely in reconstructing and repairing the soul, and they come from my artifacts. I can put a soul in stasis personally, but I don't know how to cast a delayed-activation spell that accomplishes the same."

"The rest of the Devils will never stand for it. Not to mention we won't be able to tell if they're doing as we asked them to."

"That's what magical contracts are for, aren't they? Hell, make them swear magical oaths. As for the rest of the Devils, don't tell them. Are you or are you not a Devil yourself, Ajuka?"

"…I would say I like the way you think, Harry, but since it's my head on the chopping block if this goes sideways, I think I'll reserve judgment until after it works."

"I expect a letter of thanks and a Lordship when it does."

"Tone down the sarcasm. You'll be sorry when it happens."

Three months later, Harry Potter could be found bashing his head against the wall after reading the letter he had found on his dinner table that morning.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Balance Breakers were never meant to exist."

Azazel looked over the Twice Critical he was tinkering with at the wizard. They were both standing in a musty basement that doubled as Azazel's current workshop and laboratory after he totaled the last one in an accident where he was trying to combine Sacred Gears.

"Not that I disagree, but go on."

Harry scoffed. "If Sacred Gears were God's gift to mankind, then Balance Breakers were mankind's attempts to twist that gift to their own ends."

"That's an… interesting interpretation."

"Sacred Gears are a product of divine magic. That's why they're still usable by hosts who are converted into devils," Harry said. "But all humans have an extremely limited form of divine authority granted to them by God as well. They use this along with a combination of incarnation of the soul to evoke a change in their Sacred Gears."

"Really now?" Azazel set the Twice Critical to the side. "Is that why Balance Breakers tend to be achieved under great duress?"

"As the result of a fundamental shift in the host's spirit or soul, yes," Harry confirmed.

"What exactly constitutes a 'fundamental shift'? If it were as simple as changing one's mind, we'd have a lot more Balance Breakers in the world."

"And a lot more unstable people," Harry said, his expression unreadable. "The soul and the spirit are interchangeable. Both terms refer to the same thing. A Sacred Gear binds itself to its host via a spiritual connection. When said connection is established, usually right after the soul is born, though not always, the Sacred Gear then goes dormant and begins creating a faux copy of its host soul."

"Wait, what?"

"This faux copy is then housed in the Gear itself and is responsible for the limited sentience displayed by Gears that don't house the sealed souls of other beings, such as the Boosted Gear or Divine Dividing," Harry continued. "The Gear learns from its host and grows with him or her. That Twice Critical you're holding is supposed to always double the power of its user. If you used it, you would hardly notice the difference. It's 'calibrated' to whoever had it last."

Azazel stared at the Sacred Gear in question. It was somewhat of a moot point since he hadn't yet found a way to allow himself to use Sacred Gears at all, but he was sure he was close.

"If the Gear grows with its host, what triggers the Balance Breaker state?" he asked.

"There is such a thing as spiritual growth inertia, for lack of a better term. A person's soul tends to grow in the same way over time, with small deviations to its course. Most Sacred Gears can easily adjust the faux soul's growth to match that of the real one. But every so often, something happens that causes the soul to either change abruptly to start growing in a very different direction. When this happens, the faux soul cannot keep up."

"And…?"

"The Sacred Gear overcompensates. What you call a 'Crest Side' Balance Breaker is the result of a sudden growth or abrupt change in the soul. Subspecies Balance Breakers are the result of a drastic shift in the soul's direction of growth. When the host is able to reconcile his own growth with the state of his previous self, he achieves the advanced state you call an 'Abyss Side' Balance Breaker."

Azazel looked thoughtful.

"But what happened at the hospital wasn't a true Balance Breaker," Harry said. "Something was missing."

The two of them then turned to the third, unconscious occupant of the room.

"What does that mean for the ojou-sama's brat, then?" the Fallen asked curiously.

Feeling a soul fracture was not a sensation one forgot easily. Harry could still remember the sensation he experienced when he received his iconic scar.

"It means, he left part of himself behind somewhere. Though, I suppose it would be more accurate to say he threw that part of himself away then couldn't find it again afterwards."

Invisible to everyone but Harry, the souls of at least twenty orphans stood at Kiba's side.

"But I think I know where it went."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present Day**

Asia thought back to the quick lecture the kind Mr. Potter had given her after she woke up and apologized profusely for slapping him.

" _Magic is dependent on will. Long ago, anyone with the proper tools could utter an incantation and expect roughly the same results. Nowadays, it's more about actually wanting things to happen than expecting them to. Magic is an imposition of will on the world. Incantations simply help move things along by focusing said will."_

Most of his lecture went over her head, and she could tell by the blank looks of the others present that they didn't really get what the man was talking about either. It helped bolster her confidence though.

That confidence was the only reason she stood with her new allies next to the cute girl- _boy_ who had introduced himself as Gasper.

"Ready?" she heard Issei ask from in front of her.

She raised her eyes from where they were looking at her feet and hesitantly nodded.

"Don't worry, we're right here with you. We got your back!" her friend Issei said with a smile. "…Er, well, Akeno-senpai and Rias-senpai have your back, at least. Koneko-chan and I can't really do magic." It was the thought that counted, right?

Moments after Harry vanished, Rias, Sona, and their respective Peerages had gone to their assigned positions at opposite sides of school grounds. Sirzechs took up defense of the school gate alone, and Ajuka went to guard the rear and monitor the wards. Surtr Second and MacGregor Mathews were assigned to support Rias and her Peerage, but only to reveal themselves if absolutely necessary. Serafall was likewise assigned to help Sona. Everyone had been told to expect much more than just whatever minions Kokabiel had managed to rally to his cause. In truth, the three Great Satans, along with Sirzechs' Peerage, were there for whatever else was coming after. The younger Devils were expected to be able to hold their own against everyone under Kokabiel, while the traitorous Fallen himself was taken care of by the Governor General of the Fallen Angels and leader of the Grigori, Azazel.

It was with this plan in mind that Harry had worked a bit of magic and divided the Fallen Angel forces suddenly detected within Kuoh's wards. Mild compulsion charms convinced the commanders of said group to launch a pincer attack on the school. Rias and Sona were coincidentally positioned exactly where the two halves of Kokabiel's small army would attack.

Wishing her rival good luck, Rias took her Peerage to the east side of the school and outlined her plan. Gasper, a competent mage in his own right, having been taught by both MacGregor Mathews and Harry, would keep all of them hidden with his special darkness magic until the attackers were right outside the miniature forest containing the Occult Research Club's building. Once they were in position, Rias and Akeno would launch a preemptive strike and blast as many Fallen out of the sky as possible. Issei and Koneko would then assault the grounded forces, since the two of them were much less useful airborne. Asia was to stay with Sirzechs' Peerage, hidden in the forest by Gasper's magic, and heal anyone who needed it from afar.

She had never healed anyone remotely before, but had been assured by Harry that she was more than capable of it. She had also been told that MacGregor Mathews was a very talented Magician who could assist her in projecting her aura of healing outwards without revealing himself.

" _Just in case, there's one spell you should learn to keep yourself and others around you, safe. With the type of person you are, this will come naturally to you. Try it with me now…"_

" _P-protego_ ," she whispered under her breath, practicing the one-word incantation. She recognized Latin, but was told by Harry that the language wasn't really important. She could just as easily say "Shield!" and achieve the same results, but since her impromptu magic teacher had used Latin, she faithfully copied him.

Issei took her positive acknowledgement as a good sign, and returned to conversing with the dragon inside his Sacred Gear, the shiny red gauntlet having already been manifested around his hand and forearm for the past half hour.

 _Alright, Ddraig. Showtime._

 _ **Hmph. If not for that thing's interference, you would still be helpless. Be thankful that I'm willing to cooperate.**_

 _Yeah, yeah. All I have to do is call on you and you'll take care of the rest, right?_

 _ **Fool! You are weak! Do not presume to talk to me in that manner! Even with my help, you are still highly vulnerable to virtually every threat in this farce of a conflict!**_

 _You don't have to tell me twice,_ Issei thought bitterly to himself.

He remembered watching Kiba fight the Exorcist, and vividly recalled his own death at the hands of Yuuma, no, Raynare. Over the past week or so since his reintroduction to the world, he had tried to harness the power of the devil magic he should have gained access to, with no appreciable results. He was marginally stronger and much more durable than before, not to mention he now had wings to fly with, even though he was crap at controlling them, but in every way that mattered, Issei knew he was currently weak. Especially in comparison to the Devils who stood around him.

 _But, every hero's gotta start somewhere, right? And I was always prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve my dream. All that's changed is that instead of vague goals, now I have a guaranteed way of getting my harem! I just have to get stronger!_

Issei nodded to himself, remembering the promises his senpai, Rias-buchou had whispered to him when he had initially been depressed after being violently dumped.

 _YOOOOOSH! I'M GONNA DO IT!_

The glow of the green gem in the Boosted Gear's gauntlet seemed to dull ever so slightly.

 _ **Why me…?**_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So-tan, So-tan, gambatte! Go for it, go for it! Show those stupid crows who's boss!"

Sona did her best to ignore the cheers of her elder sister echoing through her head. That the cheers were accompanied by a mental projection, no doubt sent by Serafall, of her in a scandalously short-skirted cheerleader uniform did not help.

The rest of her Peerage stood at her side stoically. She was prouder of them than she cared to admit out loud, lest she ruin her image of calm composure and indifference.

Unknown to her, everyone in her Peerage already lost that image of her the first time each of them had met Serafall and been shown the photo album she kept of her So-tan's most embarrassing moments. As it stood, they were doing an admirable job of not cracking up with the telepathic message sent by Serafall echoing through their heads as well. Saji just drooled at the accompanying mental projection while simultaneously reminding himself that he was in love with the woman's younger sister. His inner turmoil displayed itself in the complicated expression he wore, in contrast with the serious expressions of his fellow Peerage members.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one more time," Sona said, after finally managing to dispel the message. She pointedly ignored the "So-tan, such a meanie!" that echoed out when she did.

The rest of her Peerage instantly stood at attention, with the exception of Momo and Reya who were busy maintaining the privacy barrier hiding them.

"We don't have the advantage of cover like Rias, but neither do the Fallen," Sona said, indicating the track-and-field circuit next to the soccer field they were standing in and the parking lot beyond it. Serafall was hidden in the nearby girls' locker room, by the school's outdoor pool. She had her powers on full display, ready to spring into action, but the warding on the room put in place by Harry after the Perverted Trio was discovered trying to peek one too many times hid Serafall completely.

"They'll mostly likely start throwing light spears at us as soon as they detect us. From past reports and information given to us by Azazel-sama, they shouldn't notice us until they're already over the parking lot. Once the majority of them are, we'll activate the artificial gravity ward and force them to land."

Seals for said barrier had been placed just earlier that morning, and negation seals were placed on the bodies of all of Sona's Peerage, including her, at some point throughout the day. Nobody questioned how or why Harry knew to do so.

"Once that happens, Momo and Reya will cast Reverse on the remaining Fallen in the sky. If we're lucky, that will eliminate anyone who wasn't caught in the barrier. Otherwise, they're responsible for taking care of any fliers. Tsubaki has to maintain the gravity ward, so that means the rest of us will engage with the Fallen caught in our trap."

Tsubaki nodded from her position next to the activation and anchor seal for the ward, hidden inside one of the warded goals of the soccer field. On the other side of the field, an identical secondary anchor was set up with its own limited source of energy in case Tsubaki was needed as backup. Saji pounded the fist not covered by his Sacred Gear against his chest.

"Leave it to me, Sona-kaichou! With this Sacred Gear, I'll take care of all of them!"

"Your enthusiasm is noted and appreciated, but don't take any risks. There's a good chance additional forces will show up at some point. If things get dangerous, we have reliable backup to bail us out. That being said, this is the perfect chance to prove we're ready for the upcoming Rating Games. I expect nothing but the best from all of you."

"HAI, SONA-TAICHOU!"

Sona adjusted her glasses with a half-smile.

They were ready.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It would be two more hours until any sign of activity. Koneko was actually the first to notice something wrong, sniffing at the air curiously.

"Buchou," she said, voice louder than usual. "Smells wrong."

Rias took note immediately and looked up at the seemingly empty sky. Next to her, her brother's double-Bishop Magician cast a wordless spell before his eyes widened.

"They got us!" he exclaimed with a note of panic. "Surtr, they're here for the ojou-sama!"

Surtr displayed excellent reaction time as he dove in Rias' direction, the a quickly expanding magic circle making itself known at her feet.

Not a moment later, there was a distortion in space as Rias and Surtr disappeared, along with MacGregor mid-curse, who had managed to piggyback on the magical trail left by the teleportation. In their place, a small army of Fallen appeared on the ground, looking around in confusion. Rias' Peerage was shocked into stillness for a moment, before Issei was the first to move.

"GIVE HER BACK, YOU DAMN FALLEN ANGELS!"

 **BOOST!**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Despite not knowing what had befallen her rival, Sona too noticed something was slightly off. The bulk of Kokabiel's forces should have arrived by now, yet there were no signs of any Fallen in the skies or on the ground. However, she was completely unprepared when she was violently tackled out of the way by her older sister, who had teleported next to her in a flash of blue light.

"Wha-?"

The dim magic circle hidden beneath the short grass vanished a moment later, taking Serafall with it. Not even a second after she disappeared, Harry was in her place. He reached his hand out into thin air and his fingertips seemed to distort slightly, followed by his hand and the rest of his arm. When he yanked backwards, he was somehow holding an unconscious Serafall.

His eyes were cold.

Without warning, the missing half of Kokabiel's army popped into existence around Sona's Peerage. Harry vanished, along with Serafall. The gravity ward, which was supposed to be centered on the parking lot, instead came alive across all of the parking lot, the entire sports complex, and the school without Tsubaki's input, pinning the vast majority of the crowd of dazed Fallen Angels to the ground with force far exceeding what it was supposed to apply. The few that had managed to remain standing conjured light spears.

To her credit, Sona reacted immediately from her position on the ground.

"ATTACK!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sirzechs was understandably angry. His precious younger sister had vanished from his senses, nearly causing him to lose control instantly. Only an urgent message from his Bishop had stayed his hand. It was short and clipped, something MacGregor had been able to convey was due to the dimensional barrier separating them, but it assured him that Rias was safe and guarded by both him and his Rook.

When a teleportation circle had appeared under him, he had stood still and let it take him to its intended destination. The place he now stood in had only a barren wasteland, with the sky being an eye-watering blend of bright and dull colors. As far as he could tell, he was the only one here, and there was nothing inherently harmful or dangerous in his surroundings. Was this place just intended to hold him? He would take care of that.

From his pocket he pulled out a summoning contract. His own summoning contract, in fact. Using its inherent magic, Sirzechs tried to transport himself to the side of his master, Harry.

Nothing happened.

Staring at the contract with a small amount of frustration, Sirzechs supposed his would-be captors had at least some small measure of skill. It took a highly specialized magic user to block cross-dimensional summoning. After all, familiars could be summoned from the Pet Forest, itself located in another dimension, with ease despite every ward Sirzechs knew of.

His own Devil senses, attuned to the dimensions Earth and Hell resided in, told him he was in neither. If he had been transported somewhere in the Pet Forest, a Familiar Master would have appeared by now.

 _I suppose I have no choice then._

With that thought in mind, Sirzechs released his hold on his powers and let them run wild. The world around him started to crumble away with his humanoid form.

 _Let's see if I really can destroy the barrier between dimensions._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ajuka sensed all of the spatial distortions moments before they happened, but was powerless to stop them. He did, however, hijack the one targeting him with his Kankara Formula. Whoever was behind this was either ignorant of his abilities, or did not know it was him maintaining the wards.

After determining the destination was some mysterious pocket dimension and unsuccessfully trying to trace the magic back to its caster, Ajuka dismantled the teleportation circle and let it vanish. For a moment, he felt his control over the wards flicker slightly.

 _Someone tried to teleport here just now._

He felt a twinge of holy energy, but that could mean it was either Angels or Fallen. Either way, his momentary loss of control over the wards of Kuoh didn't affect anyone in the town. Instead, it seemed whoever was trying to get in had been redirected elsewhere.

This meant that it was most likely the contingent from Heaven that had been waylaid. Ajuka was relatively unconcerned with their safety however. The objective was to isolate, as it was in Sirzechs' case. Attempting to actually defeat the Super Devil with anything short of the combined might of several Ultimate-class beings was absurd. Someone was trying to take over Kuoh without outside interference and in the absence of its two young overseers.

Not on his watch.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was chaos. Issei watched as Koneko punch a Fallen Angel through a nearby tree as he ducked a light spear thrown by another.

 **BOOST!**

His strength and reserves doubled for the fourth time since the fighting began, Issei decided Koneko had the right idea and proceeded to do the same to the one that had thrown the light spear at him.

The telltale scream of half a dozen more Fallen Angels resounded from somewhere behind him. Judging from the perverted half-giggles, half-moans, Issei supposed Akeno was having a good time. His leg ached from a recently-healed wound inflicted by a stray light spear, but even the ache was gone a second later. He really owed Asia.

Speaking of Asia, he spared a glance in the direction of where he knew she was safely hidden by Gasper's magic, invisible to the rest of the Fallen Angels. It was reassuring that Gasper had reacted quickly enough to only reveal the three active combatants. Despite being surrounded, Issei, Koneko, and Akeno had managed to move the center of the fighting away from her and Gasper.

One benefit of being surrounded was that the three of them didn't have to worry about hitting each other. There were too many Fallen Angels around all of them for there to be a risk of friendly fire so long as Akeno didn't start shooting lightning at the other two on purpose. Their hilariously-outnumbered state also meant that their opponents had to be extra careful not to hit each other, limiting their attacks to melee-only except for the rare instance where one overambitious Fallen decided throwing a light spear was worth the risk.

Early in the fight, Issei had realized that though his body was definitely vulnerable to the spears of light conjured by the Fallen Angels, his gauntlet did not share that vulnerability. Thus, he took great pleasure in watching the eyes of the Fallen widen when he picked up the first errant light spear thrown in his direction and chucked it back. His aim and form were horrible, but there were so many of them that unless he threw it at his feet or into the sky, he was bound to hit _something_. And hit something he did. The Fallen he had impaled through the stomach had a few moments to look surprised before a thrown tree crushed him against his nearby fellows, courtesy of Koneko.

Still, they weren't in good shape. Issei had suffered the most wounds by far, with every limb having been cut, stabbed, or otherwise hurt in some way over the course of the few minutes they had been fighting. The first couple of minutes, before he had boosted more than once or twice, were the worst. If not for timely intervention by his currently invisible Dhampir ally, he would have already been permanently removed from the fight.

As it was, Asia's constant healing was the only thing allowing his reckless, untrained brawling to achieve any measure of success.

Koneko was hardly any better, though her small frame made her a more difficult target. She used a variety of martial arts in close quarters combat to disarm and redirect attacks, but a few made it through. The bottom half of her combat shirt hung by a thread, its wearer having suffered an otherwise crippling injury to the abdomen when her guard was down in the very beginning. Akeno's instant, multi-directional discharge made quick work of the surrounding Fallen after that, giving them some breathing room and Asia enough time to focus her efforts on the white-haired girl. As the Fallen were stunned, Gasper had enough time to dispel his larger-scale darkness magic and recast the spell to hide only himself and Asia again.

From there, Akeno had temporarily taken to the skies with a couple dozen Fallen in pursuit, while Issei fought a losing battle to protect Koneko while she recovered. A couple of minutes of combat and several near-death experiences later, Akeno returned, her miko outfit damaged but her body free of injury, and the three of them redirected the fighting to the edge of the forest.

 _We can't keep this up forever!_ Issei thought frantically.

 _ **Your body can't handle another Boost. This is your current limit.**_

 _OH COME ON!_

His thoughts were interrupted by the light spear of one of the five or so Fallen he currently fought nearly taking his left arm off right above his gauntlet due to a failed block. A faint green glow enveloped the injury as he watched it slowly vanish. He could tell it was healing much more slowly than when the fight began. Asia was tiring.

"Come out, come out, heretic! We know you're here somewhere!" one of the Fallen taunted.

Somehow, the Fallen knew about Asia and her powers. Issei didn't question the how, but he was worried they would eventually be able to trace the healing back to its source. That was something magic users could do, right? And Lucifer-sama's Bishop wasn't here to hide her!

Issei was extremely worried about Rias, but figured that she would be safe with her older brothers' Peerage members, especially that giant man, Surtr.

"Pervert! Run!"

"What?!"

Koneko skidded to a stop in front of him and pointed up. He and the momentarily confused Fallen looked and saw Akeno floating above with a massive, and still growing, ball of electricity, her stance making it look as if she planned to drop it on their heads.

His eyes bugged out as he saw this, and he looked back at the Rook in front of him, only to see a particularly opportunistic Fallen about to drive his spear through her back.

"NO!"

With his four-times-doubled strength, he lunged forwards and pushed the girl aside, taking the spear through his chest instead. Time slowed as he saw her eyes widen off to the side and the look of smug satisfaction on the Fallen in front of him.

From above, he heard a loud gasp, before a feminine scream of rage tore through the air.

 _ **Brat! Hey, brat! Keep it together!**_

 _I should have… seen this coming…_

He felt the hair on his arms stand up. A feeling of static, like someone had rubbed a hundred balloons on his arm and held them all nearby. The world faded out of sight around him.

The last thing he heard was a grunt in his head followed by two words.

 **OVER BOOST!**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serafall's appearance served to defuse the tense atmosphere somewhat. Still, Kiba didn't let that get in the way of his intentions.

While the rest of the people present stared at the sheepishly grinning magical girl lookalike, he dashed forward with Holy Eraser in his hands, hoping to remove the only threat. A resounding _clang_ signaled his failure.

Freed Sellzen stared at the Devil that had crossed the span of several meters in an instant.

"Oooh, the shitty Devil moves fast! GOOD! ENTERTAIN ME MORE! RAPIDLY!" he shouted.

Laughing all the while, he disappeared, only to reappear behind the blonde-haired Devil.

"AAH!"

Blood streaked through the air as Kiba felt his back get split open. Steam came from his wound as the holy energy of the Stray Exorcist's sword invaded his body.

"AHAHAHAHA! You're TOO SLOW!" the man cackled. He paused in his crazed laughter when he felt a sense of danger from the side. Reflexively raising his sword to block the incoming blow, he turned to face his attacker.

"Heathen! How dare thee make a mockery of Holy Swords with that heretical _thing_ in thy hands!" Xenovia shouted as she brought the full might of Excalibur Destruction to bear.

"What are you, five HUNDRED? NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT ANY MORE!" he shouted in response, throwing the girl backwards, much to her dismay. "And THIS Holy Sword is A BAJILLION TIMES better than your stupid pointy metal stick!"

Xenovia, outraged at the insinuation that her Excalibur shard could be outdone by another, unnamed sword, charged back into the fray.

"How dare you! I wield Excalibur Destruction, one of the seven fragments of the Holy Sword Excalibur itself!"

Freed merely picked his ear in annoyance before rushing to meet her. With another resounding _clang_ , Xenovia was once more the one pushed back.

"Pick a way to talk and TALK THAT WAY! Who CARES what you have? Now THIS beauty, right here, is-"

"Excalibur Fake!" the priest behind him shouted. Freed shot the man an annoyed look at being interrupted.

"Crafted from the Excalibur replicas placed in four churches around the world and infused with the holy energy of hundreds of potential Holy Sword wielders, it is every bit the equal of the True Excalibur!"

Kiba narrowed his eyes when he heard that, gripping Holy Eraser more tightly. He was more than content to let the priest continue talking, if it gave him more time to recover and plan.

"It has the properties of all of the Excalibur fragments! And Freed here is an authentic Holy Sword user! King Arthur himself would be hard-pressed to match him as he is!"

"You lie!" Xenovia shouted in response. "No sword made by human hands could match the True Excalibur!"

"Yeah, you're nuts!" Irina added. "The True Excalibur is unmatched!"

Kiba silently thanked Harry for whatever spell he had cast on him prior. He had been told that injuries from holy energy would not be instantly lethal and would actually heal over time, but there was a limit to his protection, and it was fuelled by unholy energy from his own soul. Then he decided to add his two cents.

"She's right," he spoke loudly and clearly. "If your Excalibur Fake was the equal of the true Excalibur, my sword would be broken. Besides, you know you're lying. Why else would you call it the Excalibur 'Fake'?"

"SHUT UP!" the priest shouted, face suddenly turning red. "I'LL SHOW YOU! I'LL SHOW ALL OF YOU! FREED!"

"Why don't YOU shut up! Don't tell me what to do!" the Stray Exorcist shouted back. "I'll kill all you shitty Devils and Devil sympathizers right now! Watch this!"

Freed raised the sword above his head.

"As your RULER, I command you, all of you, to **kneel before me**!"

Kiba, who was already kneeling, was hit with a sudden compulsion to remain still and lower his head. From his downward-pointed field of view, he could see the priest instantly take a knee, while Xenovia looked like she was struggling to stay on her feet. She lost the struggle a moment later, adopting a similar position. Glancing at Irina, he was surprised to see she was seemingly unaffected. And where did the Satan Leviathan go?

Freed looked at them all in satisfaction before noticing that Irina was still standing.

"HEY!" he shouted indignantly. "WHY are you STILL STANDING? I said, **KNEEL**!"

Irina just beamed.

"The Lord protects me," she said. Kiba felt a sudden pain in his head. "It is by His Grace that I stand tall, and His Word is the only Word that commands me. Oh, Glorious Lord, bless me with the strength to smite this sinner!"

Two white wings burst forth from Irina's back as a sword of light appeared in her hands. Xenovia stared at her fellow Exorcist in shock. Kiba's and Freed's reactions were much the same, while Valper Galilei looked like he had seen a ghost.

"In the name of the Lord, I, Irina Shidou, Ace of the Seraph Michael's Brave Saints, hereby sentence you to death! Yaaaaah!"

With that, the orange-haired girl, who had risen from the ground slowly as she spoke, dove at Freed. The bemused Stray Exorcist parried her skillfully and attempted to strike back, only for one of the girl's wings to smack him over the head and send him flying.

"FUUUU-" "OOF!"

He crashed into the still-kneeling Valper Galilei, sending them both sprawling. A second later, a loudly cursing Freed pushed the whimpering priest off of him and looked at Irina with murder in his eyes. Belatedly, Kiba realized he could stand again.

"You wanna play that way, FINE! TRANSPARENCY!"

Freed's figure became distorted before he vanished, becoming invisible. Kiba and Xenovia, both of whom had stood and readied their swords, looked at the spot where Freed had been standing, listening for the sound of movement. Irina looked petulant.

"Hey! No fair! You can't just turn invisible! That's cheating!" she complained as she conjured a light spear and threw it. The spear flew through where the Stray Exorcist had been standing when he disappeared and hit nothing, shattering on the concrete.

A couple of seconds passed in silence, before Kiba sensed a presence behind him. Trusting his combat instincts, he spun around and raised Holy Eraser in defense as Freed became visible again.

"DESTRUCTION!" the man shouted with a deranged look on his face.

Kiba's sword broke apart instantly when it made contact with Freed's.

Eyes wide as he watched Excalibur Fake plow through his sword without any resistance at all, it was only his awkward footing from spinning around that saved Kiba from injury as he fell backwards into a roll. By the time he looked back at his attacker, Freed had once again vanished from sight with another shout of "TRANSPARENCY!"

Xenovia had run over when she noticed Kiba being attacked and reluctantly offered him a hand. He grasped it, just as reluctantly, and got to his feet.

"How did you know where he was?" she asked.

"I didn't. Gut feeling," he responded shortly. Xenovia clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"COWARD! Face us in open combat!" she demanded, shouting at nowhere in particular.

"FINE!" came the voice from right next to her. "RULER! **FREEZE**!"

As the command took root, Xenovia and Kiba found themselves immobilized and helpless as Freed reappeared and tried to take both of their heads off. Fortunately, Irina intercepted the blow with a speed she had never displayed up until now. In her hands was a sword everyone affiliated with the Church recognized.

"I won't let you!" she said before disengaging the blade lock. With a shout of effort, she managed to throw Freed backwards and threw a light spear after him which caught the man in his left shoulder.

"OWW! BITCH!" Freed touched Excalibur Fake to the spear in his shoulder and it instantly broke apart. Kiba and Xenovia found their movement no longer restricted as soon he did so, and the former's eyes narrowed. "NOW WHO'S CHEATING?! WHERE DID YOU EVEN PULL THAT FROM? YOUR ASS!?"

"He can't use more than one ability at a time," Kiba said, while Freed spluttered.

The light of realization dawned in Irina and Xenovia's eyes, the two of them leveling Excalibur Rapidly and Excalibur Destruction in the man's direction.

"NUH UH! LIES!" the man screamed. "I'LL KILL YOU FIRST! TRANSPARENCY!" He disappeared once more.

The trio of Devil, Exorcist, and reincarnated Angel did not have long to wait. Freed reappeared a distance away, with his sword raised above him once more.

"TRY THIS! NIGHTMARE!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He was surrounded by the souls of his friends. The orphans who died in the experiments. He couldn't even remember all their names, but he knew that every single one of them was there, standing around him in a circle. Judging him.

" _Remember when you threw it all away."_

It was cold. White. Nothing but white.

" _What will you do?"_

"I…"

" _Remember when you were helpless."_

So cold. He couldn't even feel anything. Why was it so cold?

Something changed. The nightmare shifted.

" _When nothing else works…"_

He had failed. His swords weren't strong enough. He wasn't strong enough.

No.

The voice was different.

" _What will you do?"_

He still had something left. He still had one more thing he was holding on to. His friends stepped forwards, closer. The circle of souls shrunk.

The nightmare fought back against him.

" _You threw it all away."_

No. Not yet. The last fragment of his resolve. His spirit. He still held on to it. For his friends. For all of the children who had sacrificed themselves, he would gladly give himself.

It felt right.

" _Remember, Kiba."_

He would do it. He would throw it all away once and for all. For the sake of his justice. His revenge. His friends drew even closer. He could faintly hear the sound of cruel laughter outside the encirclement. A feminine scream.

"I…"

"What will you do?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Past**

"Remember, Kiba. Remember when you were helpless."

"Why would I want to remember that?" he spat out.

"What happens when you make Holy Eraser more powerful?"

Kiba frowned at the change of topic. "It starts to break apart. The sword can't handle too much magic. It's a limitation of my Sacred Gear."

"Only that? Nothing else?"

His frown deepened. "Yes. There are no benefits to trying to overpower any of my swords. They all end up breaking or becoming more easily breakable."

"I don't believe you."

Kiba blinked. "What?"

The soon-to-be principal of his new school pulled out a vial of… something from his pocket.

"What is this?"

"Hold on to it. It might come in handy someday."

As the vial transferred hands, it began shrinking and changing shape, until instead of a vial, Kiba held a simple metal bracelet made up of several different segmented parts. When he put it on, he felt an odd sense of comfort. Of… completeness?

"Try powering up Holy Eraser again. Never give up. Never let go."

Kiba stared at the man's bright green eyes with even more confusion.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Your self-reinforcement is extremely limited."

Kiba panted as he knelt on the ground. "I… know…!"

"Selective reinforcement was a good idea, but you don't have the required control. I doubt you'll ever be able to develop the control either. Brute-forcing the issue isn't your style anyway."

He wiped his forehead before struggling to stand up straight again.

"But… I've made progress," he said proudly, if tiredly. In his hands, he held his beloved Holy Eraser. Though it was lined with cracks here and there, there was no mistaking the aura of power it had. The cracks were just cosmetic; the sword itself was in no more danger of breaking than it was before he enhanced it.

"That you did. Take pride. You've taken your first step towards achieving your Balance Breaker."

"My first step…" he breathed out slowly. "One step closer… to that sword."

His principal-slash-mentor frowned at him for a moment, but his expression quickly became neutral once more.

"One step closer to your ultimate goal, yes. Don't forget, though…"

"I know. I probably won't ever break the True Excalibur. Or even one of its shards. But I won't stop trying."

"Good. Now give me the bracelet back."

"Huh?"

"You won't need it from now on. Everything else is up to you now. Don't let go, Kiba."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Two steps forward, three dozen steps back, huh?"

Kiba glared hatefully at the leader of the Fallen across from him. His hands were bleeding from a few cuts, but the rest of his body was free of injury. His opponent held a thin, European-style longsword that radiated a small amount of holy energy, but nothing that would kill him outright if the man actually managed to land a strike. His amateurish grip and lack of a stance told Kiba that he was wholly unused to fighting with swords, so the chances of that were low.

"Do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull to get this replica? Make it worth my time, brat!"

He gritted his teeth. Why? He did everything the same, so why?

"Don't count me out just yet!" he shouted, another copy of Holy Eraser already in his hands. In an instant, the sword had formed the tell-tale cracks along the length that signified he had enhanced it via Sword Birth.

Why did his sword break?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Argh!"

"You are weak, Kiba. Get it through your head."

"Lucifer-sama…"

"Shh. This is for his own good."

The four of them (Kiba, Sirzechs, Souji Okita-Sirzechs' Knight who had been training the boy for months prior-and Harry) were in an underground training hall. Souji and Harry were standing at the edge of one of the sparring circles, while Sirzechs stood over the prone form of Kiba, who lay panting on the ground in exhaustion.

"Give up?" the Satan asked.

"…Never!" Kiba returned hatefully.

Earlier that day, Sirzechs had told him he was unworthy to be Rias' Knight. He told him that his obsession with Excalibur was detrimental to the dedication and protection he should have been offering to the man's younger sister, and threatened to have him traded for another recently reincarnated Knight. When Kiba voiced his complaints, Sirzechs demanded that he prove his worth. Harry, who had been nearby, commented that it was unrealistic for Sirzechs to expect Kiba to present any sort of a challenge, a notion the teenage boy grudgingly agreed with.

Thus, Sirzechs offered him a simple ultimatum. Score any direct hit, and he would withdraw his threat. Sirzechs would not attack or even move, only covering himself with his Power of Destruction.

The "duel" had lasted for several hours at this point. Every sword he had created broke when brought near the other man. Throwing them did no good. No matter what direction he attacked from, the result was the same. No amount of speed or strength, no amount of skill, no property he imbued his swords with was enough to pierce the other man's defenses.

"Enough," Sirzechs said, voice low. "You have failed."

His words broke the boy's heart. He would be traded away. He would never be able to repay her kindness.

"No…" he whispered.

Harry and Souji watched silently, the former's gaze intense.

As the Satan Lucifer turned and began walking away, Kiba threw his Holy Eraser at the man's back with a scream of rage. The sword shattered like every one before it against a black and red field of energy.

"Attacking while my back is turned? I was wrong about you. Not only are you not capable of defending her, you can't be trusted either!" the man thundered after turning back around. Kiba glared defiantly back, standing up one last time.

"I don't care what you think of me…" His voice was quiet and lower than any of the others had ever heard him speak. "I'll do whatever it takes… To accomplish my goals… To repay her…" Holy Eraser formed in his hands again, with cracks already running along the blade. As everyone else watched, the blade itself began to glow slightly as if there were a light source nestled inside of it. The blonde raised the sword until it was pointing at the center of Sirzechs' chest.

Sirzechs regarded him coolly.

"I refuse… to let her go. To let them go."

"What will you do afterwards, Kiba?" the man asked.

"It doesn't matter."

Harry stepped forward. "Then die."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Valper Galilei is on his way here."

Kiba received the news silently, only a tightening of his jaw indicating he had even heard Harry.

"Before that, one of the Excalibur shards is here too. Whoever carries it will probably come to the school to meet Sirzechs and the other leaders."

Harry faced Kiba. Hard, blue eyes staring into softer, green ones.

"Have you made your choice?"

"Yes," Kiba replied. "I will die."

"Good. Make peace with Excalibur. Then I will set it up so that you and Valper Galilei meet. Remember…"

"I know. I won't."

"No, not that."

Kiba looked up in momentary confusion.

"Now… you can let them go."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present**

"What will you do, Kiba?" they asked in unison.

The boy on the ground stood up to face the souls of his deceased friends.

"I…" he began, taking a deep breath.

"I'll do it. I'll die."

The nightmare seemed to scream in triumph.

His friends' souls smiled at him. He smiled back. He held his hand out, and all at once, they vanished.

The world paused.

The voices of his friends started shouting again, angry. Kiba paid them no mind.

In his hands, he held a swirling silver mass in the shape of a ball. With quiet resolve, he guided it to his chest, where his body absorbed it. For the first time in a long, long time, Kiba felt at peace.

Holy Eraser appeared, his constant companion ever over a decade. Then cracks appeared on it, widening until the entire sword was covered in them. The sword began glowing, brighter and brighter. The illusion faded. He absentmindedly noticed the Stray Exorcist shout some profanity in his general direction, but he didn't care. All Kiba could see was the sword, the Excalibur Fake.

Something snapped into place within him. He closed his eyes.

It was time for the nightmare to end.

"Yes… I'll die…"

The cracks on Holy Eraser vanished as the glow encompassed the entire sword.

"…so that I can begin living again!"

His inner peace became a vortex of righteous fury as he opened his eyes. His Sacred Gear roared inside of him, the renewed voices of his friends cheering him onwards. Freed seemed to teleport in front of him and swung his sword at Kiba's neck, but to Kiba's eyes, the sword moved in slow motion.

" **Balance… BREAK!** "

In the next instant, the Excalibur Fake was no more.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

We plan on having at least one character from DxD resolve their character conflict per arc. Sona and Saji are included, but unfortunately, the rest of Sona's Peerage is not. Older characters will mostly have their arcs explained and resolved in flashbacks. If you want the full story, check out the upcoming interlude.

To us, Sword of Betrayer was a representation of Kiba turning his back on his friends and later, turning his back on his lifelong hatred. It was only appropriate that we engineered something similar. But Sacred Gears don't exactly work the same in this story's universe, do they?

The final chapters of any given arc will never have previews.


	8. EX5of5 Ch6 - Unbroken

**Chapter 6 – Unbroken**

 **(Excalibur Arc, Part Five of Five)**

A/N: WARNING! Long A/N at the end. Please read at least the first two paragraphs. Your opinion is appreciated! It has come to our attention that we have been using capitalization inconsistently throughout the past few chapters. Neither of us is inclined to go back and correct them. From now on, we'll be extra careful. No capitalization is purposefully used to indicate anything of importance plot-wise.

* * *

 **Day after the summoning**

What was one more life on the road to his own death? The look of unadulterated joy on Sirzechs' and Grayfia's faces made the whole thing worth it. The stone was quick to remind him that his latest attempt would inevitably end in failure, but Harry knew that already. No, he was playing a much longer game. Even if Sirzechs couldn't destroy the Hallows alone, there were bound to be other people who could help him. More importantly, this was only step one.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **10 years later**

Harry read over the files on Issei Hyoudou carefully. Other than the boy's rampant perversion, he didn't seem to be anything special. And yet, he carried the Boosted Gear. When Koneko had first reported smelling something dragonic, Rias had come to Harry to stake a claim since he was the unofficial liaison between her and her rival, Sona. Sometimes, he regretted his tendency to make friends. Over the years, that tendency had apparently evolved into making surrogate family members out of anyone not yet considered a legal adult, with him as either their (god)father, older brother, or uncle, but he digressed.

Still, Harry had readily agreed since Rias had actually picked the teenager out first, never mind the fact that Harry had identified the presence of a Sacred Gear attached to Issei's soul the moment he laid eyes on the boy. Harry had spent a while brainstorming with Serafall about how to engineer a meeting that would cause Sona to take note of the Sacred Gear sitting under her nose, and for a while, Issei's perverted habits had seemed like the perfect solution.

Harry had placed a mild compulsion charm on Issei to go peek at the women's locker room by the swimming pool and kept tabs on different members of Sona's Peerage to make sure a different person caught the boy each time. But alas, without someone with additional sensing capabilities like Koneko, Sona had no chance. It was only a matter of time before lo and behold, Rias noticed. Oh well. He'd cheer Serafall up later. Maybe some ice cream?

It was against the "rules" of the game for Harry to outright tell Sona that Issei carried a Sacred Gear (what game, Harry wasn't quite sure, but Serafall insisted one existed and it was always a good idea to agree with your significant other on things like this). He wasn't even allowed to so much as _hint_ about it. But, it was perfectly fine if Harry controlled events such that Sona came to certain conclusions on her own. Such had been the case with a majority of her Peerage. Her obsession with chess only helped him pick out people that would suit her preferred strategies.

After the meeting in which he revealed his ability to be in two places at once, Harry the first pulled Sona aside while Harry the second went on ahead to the classroom.

"Rias intends to perform the bonding today."

Sona's eyes widened. "How does she plan on explaining Devils to him?"

"She doesn't. Issei's dating a Fallen Angel in disguise. Said Fallen Angel plans to kill him in the park tonight, at which point she will arrive as he's on the brink of death, bring him back to me, and bond with him while he's incapacitated."

"I thought that was outlawed?"

"The law never passed. The Evil Pieces' abilities with regards to reincarnation were just limited."

"How did you get anyone to agree to that?"

"We didn't. Honestly, between you, Rias, and your older siblings, I'm really losing hope for the 'devilish' side of Devilkind, here."

That earned him a smack on his arm and a matching swat from his sentient cloak. He was about to complain until he saw the look on her face.

"I know that look, imouto. Why don't you go ahead and tell your big brother what's wrong?"

"…Quit mixing Japanese and English. It sounds weird to us Devils and I know you're doing it on purpose somehow," she said. When she saw he wasn't going to let it go, she gave in. "I just wish there was another way. You shouldn't have to keep sacrificing yourself like this, Harry-niisan."

"Don't you worry about that, my little So-tan." She pouted as Harry used her sister's pet name for her. "I'm used to it." And just like that, she was frowning again.

"How many would this make?"

"Six. All of Rias' Peerage and Grayfia. She seems to have an uncanny way of finding potential servants on their deathbeds."

"Liar," Sona said in a small voice.

Harry's easygoing tone shifted ever so slightly as he continued talking.

"I mean honestly, why can't she be more like you? No one in _your_ Peerage was dead or dying before they joined you. It's like she does it on purpose! Or maybe it's a curse of her clan? I mean, I think Sirzechs mentioned that all of his Peerage was either about to die or sentenced to death before-"

"Harry. How many?"

The man sighed tiredly.

"…Twelve."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona waited impatiently for Issei and Rias to arrive. Next to her, her big brother in every way that mattered stood, much more patiently. Sona knew that by the end of the night, this particular version of her big brother would be gone.

"So… any second now, you say?" she said, trying to fill the silence.

"Aaany second now," he confirmed with a wry smile. Sona knew that smile. She did not like that smile. He finished tracing his runes and clapped. "Like, right about… now."

The next thing Sona knew, she was being smothered by her rival's assets.

"Are you both okay?"

"I could have done with a little warning, nii-san, but yes, I am fine as well." Her rival said much the same thing.

Her mask was back in place. Rias couldn't know.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serafall stood outside the infirmary door, biting her lip. She shouldn't be here. It never ended well. Absently, she fingered the Time-Turner in her hands. She remembered what Harry told her about it. How it channeled raw magic. Beings like her were not meant to be able to use raw magic. Doing so was tantamount to suicide, and the best someone like her could expect was debilitating pain for even the slightest contact. She could only stay for about an hour at a time without Harry's help, and it had already been almost fifty minutes.

But she had to be here. She had to see. She had missed the first six, but every one Harry had saved since their engagement, she had been present for. This time would be no different. Who cared if she forgot? Harry remembered, and that was all that mattered. Who cared if using the Time-Turner hurt? Harry would make it all better. He was the only one in the whole world who could make it all better. He was awesome like that.

And so, when she heard the sound of someone collapsing on the other side of the door, she wasted no time in throwing it open. She held her love as his body faded away, her own flickering and disappearing once she was unable to maintain it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When she felt Harry freeze in her arms, she instinctively knew what had happened. He had done it again. Her selfless fiancé had sacrificed himself to save someone else yet again.

"It's nothing," he said.

She knew he was lying. He felt every single one of his deaths. As she saw him give her that same soothing look he always did, she began to feel the backlash of using the Time-Turner when her alternate self vanished from existence. But it was okay, because Harry held her. Together, they would make everything better.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry had the same first thought upon waking up that he did almost every day for the past nine-and-a-half years.

 _I'll make sure you stay happy, Serafall._

After getting dressed for work and apparating to his office, he kept the spatial link open on purpose and waited. Moments later, his impromptu fishing line caught a magical girl. Said magical girl was now sat in front of him looking to anyone else like she was about to cry. Great men had killed for much less. He saw through her ploy, but there was no reason to delay the inevitable. It's not like he could keep family from observing their children, or siblings, on _Family_ Observation Day.

So he told her "She's all yours."

In his haste, he completely forgot to ask for the Time-Turner back.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry watched, invisible, as his observation target rammed her head into a light post. Who actually does that? He might have to reconsider his stance on how unrealistic some of Rias' anime were.

The scout he'd spoken to told him Asia was spotted in the company of a brown-haired male pervert (Harry had questioned the "male" modifier on the word pervert momentarily, but then remembered hearing Akeno the one time and ruthlessly crushed that thought). Since Harry actually knew two brown-haired perverts in the area, he had to think about it for a second. Then he realized it was late afternoon. Azazel would still be asleep, the lazy bastard. That meant it was Issei.

Harry's conclusion worried him slightly, but he reassured himself that despite the boy's perverted nature, he was still a good kid at heart. Plus, she was a nun. Surely, Issei had some boundaries. After spending five minutes tailing the two, Harry admitted he should have known better.

 _If he stares at her tits one more time, I swear to Merlin…_

Issei did it again.

 _That's it. I'm going to go check out the abandoned church. And you two_ , Harry thought, weaving a mild compulsion charm on them, _are going to chat for a long while._

He was mildly surprised when Asia chose to talk about her upbringing. Harry hadn't exactly specified a topic of conversation. He was further surprised when Issei seemed to genuinely care about the nun for something other than her physical attributes. He was actually about to tear up in pride when Issei had immediately decided to cheer Asia up by showing her how to have fun. And without any perverted undertones!

 _Maybe there's hope for him yet._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry surmised that this was what Batman must have felt like in that one video game whenever he hid on the gargoyles that, for some reason, every church or cathedral had on the inside. Idly, he wondered how the thugs ever managed to rig them with explosives. They were like a minimum of ten meters off the damn ground!

Deciding not to waste any more time after casting his listening charm, Harry commanded his cloak to cover him again and calmly walked out of the church, his footsteps magically silenced.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Where the fuck is Raynare?" he heard mere minutes after he left.

 _Wasn't Raynare the name of that Fallen Angel that tried to kill Issei?_

Harry caught sight of his original observation target staring forlornly at a teddy bear inside of an arcade machine. Issei saw her expression shortly afterwards and decided to try his luck.

Out of respect for his completely pure intentions in cheering the girl up, Harry decided to throw the boy a bone. Another mild compulsion charm and sticking charm later, Asia was the happy owner of a miniature teddy bear, which she held tightly with one arm while the other was circled around one of Issei's. The boy looked like was on Cloud Nine.

Then, Harry recognized the feel of unholy energy nearby and looked in that direction.

It was Raynare, the missing Fallen Angel. She was poorly disguised, but her real disguise was the attention-diverting magic she had cast around herself, he supposed. He didn't need to follow her line of sight to know that she already caught sight of Asia. He could work with this.

Harry cast compulsion charms on everyone present, along with a modified non-magical repelling ward on the nearby alleyway, and uncloaked. Issei and Asia saw him first, turning into the alley. Raynare saw them see someone else, but didn't see Harry herself.

After the confrontation, he noted the fallen teddy bear. Applying quick cleaning charm, Harry sent it off with a thought. Issei would later find said bear on his kitchen table and return it to its owner the next day.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, ohhh, I'm so sorry!"

It took every ounce of Harry's not inconsiderable willpower not to pet the head of the girl apologizing to him. She looked horrified as if she'd somehow managed to insult him and everyone else in his very, very, _very_ extended family in the same sentence… then killed his dog, drowned his cat, shot his owl, and burned his house down with him still inside on accident on a Sunday morning.

Harry could only sigh. Today would be a long day. He missed Serafall already.

He adjusted his sitting position, resigning himself to a boring day at work. At least he could look forward to that meeting with Kiba later tonight.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry met with Serafall again on their way to the meeting.

"Alright, Serafall. I know you've been using it. Give it here."

Serafall pouted at him, but didn't deny anything. She knew better than to try and fool Harry's sense for raw magic. It was the one sense he had that was sharper than all his others, even his spiritual sense. Without a word, she dropped the Time-Turner in his hands. After examining it, he gave it back. She looked at him in confusion.

"Keep it. I'll remind you when you forget. I just finished making one for Koneko too."

She beamed at him.

"So, how long?" he asked.

Her smile faded slightly as she rubbed at the back of her head nervously.

"Only a couple of hours," she said.

"You're improving. You can make up for it during the meeting. I'll sleep with you. I already know what they'll be talking about anyway."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Azazel's "secrets" were an opportunity he had known about days in advance. When he had first brought Raynare to Azazel, he had been contacted later that night to discuss the ramifications of what he had learned from her. Knowing that trying to keep anything from Harry would be futile now that the man already knew so much, he had instead opted to spill the rest of it and recruit him for damage control.

The entire meeting was set up by the two of them. At some point, the topic of Kokabiel would be brought up. Azazel would ask Harry, who would just confirm anything he said while making it seem like it was new information. The only thing Harry hadn't known about was Heaven's inability to track their missing Exorcists. That, and the stack of playing cards in Ajuka's pocket. Strange, he didn't know the man had finished developing them already. Love really did work wonders.

He supposed he could work that into his plans. Now who did Heaven originally dispatch again…?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **At the same time**

"Let Kiba and Issei handle it."

"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!"

Next to him, Koneko twitched irritably. He calmed her with the customary head pats, assisted by the fabric of his cloak.

"It'll be good for them both," he said, shooting Kiba a glance.

The boy nodded in return. His soul was stable. Good.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As Kiba and Issei went to confront the Exorcist doing her best impression of a lumberjack, Harry was the first to find a comfortable spot by the window to watch the confrontation and monitor the state of Kiba's soul. Meanwhile, he also took advantage of Koneko's established cuddling habits to check on the Time-Turner necklace around her neck. So far, so good.

Minus the interruption from Ajuka. Honestly. Hopefully, the man would take the hint and use the opportunity Harry had given him to give the Exorcist the box in his pocket. The same box whose contents Harry had enchanted. After he left, Harry relaxed and dispelled the subtle compulsion charm he had cast on the rest of the room's occupants. Koneko nuzzled his side, giving him a curious look. He just pet her head until she decided more head pats beat asking questions.

Harry continued to watch the duel with the others until he sensed Kiba soul begin to shift. The blonde's incomplete Balance Breaker was able to deflect blows from Excalibur Destruction, and with enough power, force it back. His soul was in turmoil, but it was to be expected. Change was never easy. But, from what he saw, Kiba was ready for the final step.

There was just one last task on the to-do list for today. And it was big, red, and had lots of sharp teeth.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Three strikes and you're out, chap. Sorry."

After sending Kiba away, Harry used his spiritual magic to force the manifestation of Issei's Sacred Gear, then used that same magic to enter the Gear with his own soul. Inside, he saw the Welsh Dragon, Ddraig.

Harry stood, fearless, for two major reasons. First, thanks to his status as Master of Death, his soul was actually borderline invincible and very much immortal. Second, Ddraig mainly specialized in conceptual magic, and as such was rightly afraid of Harry, one of the only entities alive who could neutralize his favored method of attack.

" **What do you want, Death?"**

"Just checking on you, Penetrate."

The gigantic dragon grunted, his head resting on his crossed front legs.

" **I am in no mood for games. Speak your piece, and begone."**

"You can't _still_ be sore about not getting 'Pierce,' right?"

The red dragon's eyes narrowed dangerously, while Harry's cloak seemed to react to the implied danger and began billowing out behind him.

"Alright, alright. I was wondering what your plans were this time around."

" **The same as they always are. I will train my host, and I will defeat Albion."**

"Don't you ever get bored of doing the same thing?"

" **I could ask you the same."**

"Touché. So why haven't you revealed yourself yet?"

" **He is not ready."**

"He looks fine."

The dragon was suddenly on guard.

" **Why are you here, Death?"**

"Like I said: just checking. And from where I'm standing, it looks like you're afraid."

With that, Harry vanished from the sealing space inside of the Boosted Gear. Ddraig stared at the spot Death had previously stood, only relaxing when he was sure the entity had actually left. Slowly, he looked between his claws and his eyes widened.

Where there used to be a fluctuating mess of conflicting energy that was the faux soul he had bonded to, now stood a perfect copy of Issei Hyoudou.

Ddraig was left to contemplate why Death of all people would go around helping the living.

 _ **I guess it's about time we had a talk.**_

Ddraig established the first mental link he had ever made with his current host.

 **Hey, brat.**

…Only to find him in the middle of a wet dream.

 _ **I… have a bad feeling about this.**_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _It's not here._

Harry couldn't feel the tell-tale presence of an Excalibur shard, though the abomination that Stray Exorcist was waving around made him want to reach out with his powers and kill everyone there. Only Serafall and Koneko floating next to him prevented him from doing so. That, and he couldn't actually use his powers quite that freely. Nonetheless, there was still one thing he could do. Messing with the natural cycle of death and rebirth had its consequences.

 _Death comes, Valper Galilei._

Below him, he idly noted the lead Fallen Angel look alarmed for a moment before looking around at the people he led in poorly-concealed trepidation. Trust Kokabiel to detect fluctuations in divine energy.

Minutes later, Harry and his companions watched as the rest of the Fallen plus one excommunicated priest and foul-mouthed Stray Exorcist started heading in the direction of Kuoh Academy. Azazel would be on his way to this hideout from the other direction shortly. Sending glances at the alternate versions of Koneko and Serafall, Harry skillfully disabled the self-destruct circle with Kokabiel none the wiser and faded out of existence. The two Devils left behind then went to fulfill their own parts in the upcoming battle.

With any luck, the religious factions would be one step closer to true peace after all was said and done.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The first sign that something had gone wrong was when two additional transportation circles appeared. Rias was relatively safe with Surtr, the Ultimate Rook, and MacGregor following her, but Sona was a different story. When Harry appeared and realized that the circle had taken Serafall instead, he saw red.

Drawing upon his limited mastery over the magic that governed space-time, Harry reached for his fiancé and found himself blocked by a barrier of divine energy.

 _A Sacred Gear?_

Not even a moment later, the barrier disappeared and his fingers closed around a familiar-feeling article of clothing. With a bit of effort, he pulled backwards, and Serafall appeared in his grip, unconscious. This worried him since, as an Ultimate-class Devil, being forcefully dragged through space should not have been mentally taxing enough to knock her out.

Sensing another distortion about to deposit the missing half of Kokabiel's army at his location, Harry just barely remembered to activate the gravity ward on his way out, though he might have pumped a little more magic in it than was strictly necessary.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

At the end of the day, Harry was… satisfied, if not completely happy with the way everything had turned out. Rias and Sona had proven themselves and gotten real-world combat experience, Kiba had achieved his Balance Breaker, and the experimental Brave Saints System could be tentatively deemed a success, among other things. But, most importantly, everyone had survived, though Rias was a bit shaken. Harry would ask Surtr and MacGregor about it some other time if Rias didn't approach him first.

All in all, Harry could hardly have asked for a better outcome given it was his first time manipulating so many things at once. The mystery party that tried and failed to abduct the two heiresses would be found in short order if they were dumb enough to still be around, especially if Sirzechs and Serafall had anything to say about it.

The idea for the day's events had originally come from Serafall, with whom Harry shared practically everything these days. When he had told her about the upcoming attack and the possibility of further conflict, she had been uncharacteristically upset with Sirzechs' initial plan to take care of it amongst themselves as the leaders of their people. She wasn't adamantly opposed to working with the Angels or the Fallen; as Devil in charge of Foreign Affairs, Serafall wholeheartedly supported that.

No, Serafall was worried about how Harry had told her the coming conflicts would most likely be centered on Kuoh due to its ley lines and the presence of Rias and Sona. Add in the fact that the leaders of the Three Factions were meeting there, no matter if it was supposed to be a closely-guarded secret, and it was all but a foregone conclusion that anyone who opposed the peace or had plans involving one or more of the Factions would attack.

Harry had suggested relocating, but without pulling Rias and Sona from their positions as the overseers of Kuoh, there was every possibility that it would remain a target. Conversely, relocating either or both heiresses would just shift the target, while withdrawing them from Earth completely risked the unknown aggressors attacking somewhere nobody was prepared to defend, not to mention the impact it would have on Rias and Sona's reputations and future growth potential.

Thus, Serafall had instead insisted in her usual childish manner that Harry "do something" and Harry, with his Saving People Thing on maximum overdrive, decided to do quite a lot of somethings. Thus, the plot to control the Battle of Kuoh was hatched. Whereas Serafall had opted to mostly stick with Harry, no matter if there was one or two of him, Koneko had instead chosen to spend her time elsewhere.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry levitated the sleeping body of Kiba onto a bed in the Occult Research Club's guest room. Serafall stood at his side, watching as a blanket unfurled itself to cover the bed's new occupant.

"I wish you could have done more," she said, her head resting on his shoulder.

"You know why I can't," Harry replied. His hand idly reached up to caress her cheek. "Unless I am directly attacked, I cannot respond. I am not allowed to purposefully place myself in danger. Everyone knows better than to seek me out and provoke me."

He turned, his cloak billowing out behind him.

"It's time. Remember, three turns."

"Already? Awww."

"I promise we'll do it again some other time. _After_ you've recovered enough."

"Fiiiiine."

Serafall held the Time-Turner in her hands and starting flipping it, counting aloud.

"One~! Two~! Three!"

She waited expectantly. When nothing happened, she turned to address Harry and realized she was in the pocket dimension Harry had set up. It was a disorienting experience to have the world change around you without you noticing. She also realized she could remember being bored for the past hour since she was pulled into this dimension. Her hands were empty except for a wooden Popsicle stick with the words "Break me on three!" printed on it.

She shook her head and broke the stick. Immediately, she felt herself being transported elsewhere. A moment later, she was in her bedroom in Hell.

"I wonder how Koneko's doing?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After he left Kiba to sleep peacefully and Serafall returned her existence to normal, Harry searched for and found Koneko's magical signature exactly where he imagined she would be. Apparating himself over to the secluded portion of Hell with Koneko acting as an impromptu navigation beacon, Harry knocked politely on the ornate, wooden door he now stood in front of. The place was protected by a modified Fidelius he had taught Ajuka how to cast, so he had no idea where he was.

When the door opened, the first thing Harry saw was Koneko in all her Nekoshou glory, ears and tail on full display. Anyone who saw the petite girl now would have no doubt fainted from the sheer cuteness, but Harry was luckily conditioned through prior exposure. Koneko's eyes registered Harry's presence and she was quick to throw herself at him in a full-body embrace. Harry took the opportunity to scratch between her ears and draw out a low purr.

"Hello, Koneko. How are you feeling?"

"Good. Thanks for the hourglass," was the typically short reply, though it was delivered with a very atypical smile of pure happiness.

"I'm glad."

From further within, a much more sultry voice asked a question with undisguised curiosity.

"Shiro-chan? Who's at the door, nya?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Earlier...**

The Stray Exorcist was sent reeling, still holding the hilt of his now-broken sword. Steel fragments were sent everywhere, scattered along the pavement.

Kiba himself stood with his back straight. His eyes stared unflinchingly at Valper Galilei. In his hands, he held the symbol of his newfound resolve.

"Sword Birth: Sword of the Betrayer," he intoned. Kiba spared no attention to the sword in his hands, radiating holy and unholy energy. He instinctively knew what had happened, how his newly-achieved Balance Breaker worked. Wordlessly, he raised the sword until it pointed at the priest, who stared back in terror. Next to him, Irina stared in wonder at the sword in her Devil ally's hands. She could feel the mixture of conflicting energies.

"I-impossible…" she whispered, unknowingly copying the priest now openly backpedaling away.

Kiba looked at the reincarnated Angel, noting the unconscious Xenovia at her feet.

"Take care of the Stray Exorcist," he said. It wasn't a command, but it wasn't quite a request either. Irina didn't really mind. As an Angel, it was her job to punish sinners like him anyway. She nodded in acceptance as she went to take him into custody.

"FUCK YOU! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THAT?!" Freed shouted, his expression somehow distorting further into madness. He drew a gun hidden within his coat and pointed it at Kiba. Irina readied Excalibur Rapidly to intercept any blows, but before she could even move, a blur passed by her.

"GAAAAAAAH!"

Kiba watched dispassionately as the gun fell to the ground, still clutched in hand he had cut off. Valper Galilei began whimpering.

"MY HAND! MY HAAAND! SON OF A BITCH- Grk!"

Freed's shouts were silenced by the hilt of Excalibur Rapidly bashing him over the head. Irina worried for a moment that she had accidentally broken the man's neck instead of knocking him out, but relaxed when she realized she could still feel his life energy. Angelic senses were so handy!

Seeing the situation resolved, Kiba began advancing towards the priest.

Valper turned around and ran, only to find the blonde kid in front of him. He turned back around to try his chances with the ditzy reincarnated Angel, only to bump into Kiba directly this time. He began to plead for his life, but shut up when the point of Kiba's sword was placed on his Adam's apple. Irina looked on in curiosity.

"Valper Galilei," Kiba began.

"For your part in the Holy Sword Project," he said as he took a step forward, while the priest matched him in the other direction.

"For your part in condemning the souls of hundreds of orphans to suffer inside artificial containers," he continued as he took another step, while the priest fell on his butt.

"And for your part in the creation of a Holy Sword through despicable methods," another step, and the priest now lay whimpering on the ground.

"In the name of the Lord," a gasp from Irina, and Kiba idly noted that he felt no backlash, "and on behalf of Death," in another dimension, one Harry raised his head and stared into the distance, while another Harry watched Kiba from above, "I hereby consign your soul…"

He raised his sword high and reversed his grip, standing over the other man. The sword itself began glowing and omitting an unearthly aura.

"…TO OBLIVION!"

And plunged it downwards.

"May you rest in peace."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Irina watched as the sword in Kiba's hands disappeared.

She didn't know what to think.

The Sword of the Betrayer looked eerily similar to what she had been told the True Excalibur looked like, but the colors were wrong. Where there should have been blue, and gold, there was instead black and red. But to her Angelic sight, the runic inscriptions on the silver blade were similar, if not completely identical. The blade whispered to her of destruction, of familiarity, of vigor, adversity, and subtlety, of salvation and dominance. And yet, it was none of those things.

She felt the man over her shoulder stir a bit, which was pretty amazing when she thought about it since she had clocked him not ten minutes ago, and dumped him on the ground before taking Excalibur Rapidly and smacking him over the head with the broad side of the blade. His groans of pain were cut off abruptly as another bump starting swelling up on his head to join the first. Just for good measure, she decided to smack him again for causing her so much trouble. She felt no guilt.

Her thoughts occupied by the sword that was no longer there, she was understandably startled when a bubbly voice from next to her said, "So is it over yet?"

Stifling a scream, she spun around and found herself looking at the magical girl Devil that had disappeared before the fight began.

"Who are-?"

"Thanks for helping, buh-bye now!" she said happily.

"Wait, but wha-?"

She was cut off as a teleportation circle under her feet whisked her away, along with the unconscious bodies of Freed and Xenovia.

"Yoo-hoo~! Kiba!"

Kiba blinked a few times and shook him head to clear his thoughts, before addressing Serafall.

"Leviathan-sama? How may I help you?" He asked politely. He was slightly confused when she pouted.

"Mou~! If you're gonna call me that, call me 'Levia-tan!'" she complained. Kiba blinked again.

"Err. Levia…tan," he said slowly, prompting a smile from the Satan dressed as a magical girl, "is there something I could help you with?"

"Yep!" she nodded. "Harry sent me to ask you!"

Kiba paid close attention.

"He wanted to ask you, if you were okay!"

"…Yes. I'm fine. Tell him 'Thank you,'" he replied tiredly. "Is that all?"

"Are you really?"

The bubbliness was gone. In its place, Kiba saw a worried look. He smiled.

"Yes. It's over. I'm okay."

Serafall smiled in response. "Then congratulations! And, thank YOU!"

He was back to being confused. "For what?"

"For achieving your Balance Breaker, silly!" she replied. "As for the thank you…"

All of a sudden, Harry appeared.

"That's for performing the ritual I taught you," he said. "You did good."

Kiba looked behind him with an unreadable expression. The body of the priest was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah… I did, didn't I?" he said quietly. All at once, he seemed to be overwhelmed by exhaustion. Harry caught him as his legs buckled.

"Are they… at peace, now?"

"Yes," Harry said. "Thanks to you. Good job, Kiba."

The dam burst. The boy began crying. Harry held him as Kiba emptied all his years of sadness, all his years of hatred, onto his shoulders. For once, his cloak didn't respond to getting wet.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kiba was dreaming. It was a good dream.

He saw his friends, all of them, smiling at him. He somehow held on to all of their hands at once.

Then, one by one, they let go. Instead of holding on to them, he waved goodbye cheerfully, even as his cheeks were stained with tears. For every one that vanished into the surrounding fog, a small shard of metal shot out and buried itself him. But it did not hurt.

Even as the twentieth piece entered his chest, he did not make a sound. There was no blood.

After what seemed like forever, only one friend remained. He remembered her. She was the last one he saw. She was his best friend. It was her eyes he remembered every time he woke up screaming. They looked at him in disgust. They accused him of running away.

Now, they were grateful. As he let her hand go and watched her vanish like everyone before her, he felt a sudden weight in his own.

Looking down, he saw the Sword of the Betrayer. To most, it would look menacing, but to him, it looked perfect.

Around him, he saw the shadows of seven other swords. Two of them he recognized as Excalibur Rapidly and Excalibur Destruction. One of them seemed to change shapes even as he stared at it. He didn't need anyone to tell him what the rest of them were.

Once upon a time, he would have given anything, given everything, to break those swords. Symbols of his suffering.

Now, as he held the Sword of the Betrayer in his hands, he realized.

He let it go as well, and it too vanished into the fog. And the last piece of what he now knew was his soul returned to him.

The cracks he felt repaired themselves. He was whole once more.

On both of his hands, two gauntlets formed, one black, one white.

He had never actually seen the form of his Sacred Gear before, but now, it revealed itself as he, its host, finally reunited all the pieces of himself.

The fog blew away with a sudden wind, and he saw around him every sword he had ever created, floating in the air. The Sword of the Betrayer was nowhere to be seen, but he was okay with that. He didn't need it any more.

Among the swords, he saw his friends. Rias, Koneko, Gasper, Asia, Koneko… even Sona and all of her Peerage, along with Sirzechs, his sword teacher Souji, his magical teacher Harry, Serafall… They all smiled at him before disappearing into motes of light.

All of his swords disappeared into motes of light too, the light converging into a single shape.

He reached out and grasped it.

Kiba spoke for the first time in his dream and said the name of his Balance Breaker.

"Sword Birth: Unified Will."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kiba woke to see Rias and his fellow Peerage members at his bedside. Most of them were asleep, but Rias was staring out the window. She looked angry and sad. He recognized the look of betrayal. When she turned her head and noticed he was awake, her expression morphed into one of relief as she quickly rushed to his side. The sudden movement caused the others to stir.

"Kiba!" Rias said in a hushed tone. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"Buchou… Thank you."

Rias looked at him in confusion. But confusion soon gave way to happiness.

"I don't know why, but you're welcome! Did you… did you fix what you needed to?" she asked apprehensively.

"…Yes. I did."

Koneko trotted up to him. "...No more breaking down?"

Kiba smiled. "No. No more breaking. Everything's fine now."

"ALRIGHT!" Issei shouted. "Good job, team! Our first major battle, and we all kicked ass!"

Gasper and Akeno joined in Issei's laughter, both of them giggling. Asia just smiled as Issei patted her enthusiastically on the back. Koneko nodded, her lips twitching slightly. Kiba's smile widened as he watched his friends warmly.

Only Rias was subdued, her mind elsewhere. Hidden in a drawer in her desk, there was an invitation, the envelope it had been enclosed sitting on top of it. On the front of the envelope, the name _Phenex_ was printed in bright red ink.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

In the next update, Riser makes his belated appearance and Harry gets some action! Both kinds! (No citrus to be found though, sorry.)


	9. Interlude - Double Down

**Interlude – Double Down**

 **(Excalibur Arc)**

* * *

 **Day of the assault on Kuoh**

Sirzechs grunted noncommittally as he floated around in nothingness. His plan to tear through dimensional boundaries had ended with him eventually destroying the landmass he had originally stood on. Now he was stuck floating endlessly through a sea of colors that made his head hurt. Closing his eyes didn't help. Somehow, any sort of darkness was replaced by the same eye-watering display, which made no sense.

He almost cried with happiness when he felt a tug on his contract bond. Without wasting any time, he responded eagerly and was transported away, the dimension collapsing once he was gone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

At first, Azazel had stared uncomprehendingly at the barrier separating Kuoh Academy from the rest of the town. He had tried knocking politely, then with greater and greater force, until finally he had opted to blast the damn thing apart with a rain of light spears. Fortunately for everyone involved, he was stopped by his friend Baraqiel. Shemhazai had been tasked with escorting the traitor, Kokabiel, elsewhere for holding.

Currently, the two of them were sat just outside the front gate which should have been guarded by Sirzechs, though the man was nowhere in sight. They had been sitting here for almost an hour now.

"Six?"

"Go fish."

Baraqiel drew a card and sighed as he didn't get a match. How this was possible when he had eleven cards in his hand was anyone's guess. Across from him, Azazel held three. The other Fallen Angels watched in morbid fascination.

"Four?"

He silently handed the card over. Azazel laid it down with his matching card next to the fifteen other pairs he had already made. Baraqiel only had the lone pair that happened to be among his starting hand.

"Nine?"

His eye began twitching as he handed his card over. Azazel laid the newly-made pair of cards down.

"I swear to our Father, Azazel…"

The other man paused for a moment. The other Fallen leaned in closer.

"…Queen?"

"GODDAMMIT, ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS THE FOURTH GAME IN A ROW!"

Azazel made no attempt to hide his smile.

"Perhaps you just suck at card games?" he suggested smugly. He could feel the deadpan from his fellows; he just didn't care.

"Concentration, fine. It's a memory game. Poker, fine. You probably know how to count cards. But Go Fish? With TWENTY SIX PAIRS?" Baraqiel raged.

"Hey, that was our third game. Technically, that means we tied! Besides, the first time, I won with four pairs."

"YOUR ENTIRE HAND MATCHED! YOU ASKED FOR A SINGLE CARD!"

"The second time, I won with twelve."

"WE EACH HAD TWELVE CARDS AND YOU GOT ELEVEN PAIRS IN A ROW! THEN YOU DREW THE CARD THAT MATCHED THE LAST ONE!"

"I only got eighteen this time. That's actually your first pair! Congratulations!"

Baraqiel incinerated the cards with a flash of lightning.

"That was an incredibly childish thing to do. Our Father would frown on you for wasting your powers so."

"I'll let you take that up with Him _when I send you to meet Him_!"

"Ooh, scary~!"

A large group of Fallen Angels had to duck the blast of lightning Azazel danced out of the way of.

By sheer happenstance, the barrier around Kuoh Academy faded away at that moment. Sirzechs popped into existence just in time to be electrocuted.

"GAAAAAH!"

The redheaded Satan fell to the ground, limbs twitching comically. Every other Fallen Angel in the area immediately gave the two of them as wide a berth as possible while remaining within earshot.

Azazel and Baraqiel looked at each other, the latter's face paling considerably.

"Well, shit," Azazel summed up.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Blackjack."

"Brother, your luck really is ridiculous."

"I concur."

In their own pocket dimension, Michael, Gabriel, and Griselda sat around a table inside the fake Kuoh Academy. Dulio Gesualdo, the "Strongest Exorcist," was laid down nearby, taking a nap. They had been guided here by, of all things, a floating deck of playing cards.

Once they had arrived at the otherwise empty classroom with an out-of-place casino table in the middle, a marker had written "CASINO NIGHT" across the whiteboard, along with a selection of games, including several variations of poker, baccarat, and Michael's personal favorite, blackjack. The marker had then offered itself to the four of them. It seemed obvious that it wanted them to pick one. That had been about an hour ago, by Michael's estimation.

When they had tried to transport elsewhere, they found themselves unable to. When they walked out the door, no matter what direction they travelled, they found themselves back at the room they had just exited from. The walls and windows of the school proved indestructible. At some point, Dulio had found a comfortable position on the floor inside the room and fallen asleep. After about half an hour of effort with nothing to show for it, they had given up and settled down at the table, and Michael had said "Blackjack."

Thus began his forty-nine hand winning streak.

"All I know is, it's a good thing we aren't playing for money," Griselda muttered. Gabriel nodded her agreement.

"I don't think I've quite had the pleasure of winning anything fifty times in a row before. Shall we see if someone as old as I can experience something new?"

Griselda groaned. Gabriel just pouted cutely. Michael was all smiles, but internally he was distressed.

He didn't tell anyone, but Michael recognized the magical signature on those cards. Each one was the signature of one of the Seraphs or high-ranking Angels of Heaven, his own and Gabriel's included. It also seemed that it was enchanted in such a way that only Michael would be able to recognize them for what they were, unless his sister had taken acting lessons.

He couldn't help but notice that missing from the fifty-card deck were the Ace of Spades, the Queen of Hearts, and both Jokers.

Just then, the entire deck disappeared. The board erased itself, drawing the attention of the three Angels, and a new message was floating in its place, each letter printed in bright red on a separate sheet of wrapping paper:

"The Brave Saints System was a success…? Congratulations?" Gabriel read aloud.

Dulio awoke and looked at the board curiously from his spot on the floor.

 _Are those my pastry wrappers?_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ajuka watched as his Kankara Formula continued to operate on the wards. The problem was it did nothing BUT operate on the wards. He had somehow lost control of it.

The wards surrounding Kuoh Academy had been raised to full power as soon as he sensed the spatial distortions begin to take the most powerful players out of the equation. It was only afterwards that the man realized he could no longer lower them. He watched as Azazel knocked, then punched, then kicked, then tackled the wards. He was slightly alarmed when he saw the sky fill with light spears, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Azazel's fellow Fallen dissuade him from the idea.

Ajuka had his suspicions. First, the wards were not designed to be raised for a full hour even at half power, but somehow they had been operating at full for longer than that and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Second, both groups of Fallen had been transported _through_ the wards, despite their fully active state, to replace the strongest members of each of Rias and Sona's defending parties. Third, and perhaps most importantly, his Kankara Formula was not reacting to his commands.

He could craft and maintain multiple instances of his Kankara Formula at the same time, but every time he tried to do so in this particular room, it went haywire, with unpredictable results. He stopped trying when he had somehow set his pants on fire in a failed attempt to escape the room he was locked in.

As a consolation, he did have control over defensive installations, including the remote viewing feature. It was with this feature that he had been carefully watching the battle unfold over on the west side of campus.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The initial gravity ward had disabled enough Fallen Angels to almost make it a fair fight... for the Fallen. With their opponents grounded, Sona and her flight-capable Peerage were able to claim aerial superiority with ease and rain down spellfire until the ones remaining were either incapacitated or outright killed.

A couple of members of her Peerage, like Saji, were disappointed that they would not be able to contribute as much since they weren't as magically-inclined, but it was a small price to pay for total victory.

Then things went wrong. As the last Fallen was taken out by a well-aimed magical blast from Tsubaki, everyone felt the gravity ward flicker once and weaken slightly. A couple dozen of the Fallen Angels rose to their feet with vengeance in their eyes. Moments later, she and her Peerage were forced to land when _something_ interfered with their own anti-gravity seals, weakening them as well. From there, the situation dissolved into chaos.

Sona knew that they would have to fully deactivate the gravity ward eventually or risk it incapacitating her Peerage the same as it was doing to the Fallen. The problem was, if she lifted it too early, she risked being overrun by the dozens upon dozens of Fallen currently disabled by its effects, and if she lifted it too late, she risked her Peerage being too tired to deal with ones who were still conscious.

A single moment of inattention was all it took. Her Peerage members stuck close to one another, supporting each other as they had trained to do. One moment, she was backing up to join them. The next, she had tripped over a limb in her path. She fell right in front of a Fallen woman that looked like she was barely conscious. But that didn't stop her from conjuring a light spear and stabbing it into Sona's stomach.

"SONA-KAICHOU!"

A familiar line attached itself to the light spear and she watched as the spear broke apart into motes of light that the line transferred back to its origin. The woman was rendered unconscious by a kick to the head courtesy of Sona's Rook, Tsubasa.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

The cry of pain was heard by everyone on the battlefield. As one, all eyes turned to look at the same person Sona watched in despair even as she fell to the ground, blood leaking out from her injury.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Saji's Sacred Gear half-gauntlet had vanished, his arm turning black as it shriveled up. His other hand gripped the damaged arm, and his pained look also contained determination.

It was a gamble. Harry, the affable, likable, and all-around reliable man, was practically an older brother to him already, not to mention he would actually be his brother-in-law if Saji had anything to say about it. When he admitted as much, Harry had asked him if he had what it took to protect Sona. He had immediately responded in the affirmative, but Harry then asked him how he planned to deal with his weakness to holy energy.

It would be different if he and his intended life partner had different weaknesses, because then they could cover each other, but since they were both Devils, they shared a weakness to the same thing. When he said he had no way to counteract it, but would still gladly give his life for his love, he had been admonished for thinking in such a way.

" _How do you think your love would feel if you died, and left her alone? How would you feel?"_

Saji realized he would feel responsible. Properly chastised, he asked Harry for help. The man had given him invaluable advice several times already, after all.

" _Put simply, when holy energy combines with the unholy energy you carry as a Devil, it results in something that is poisonous to you. It results in raw magic."_

The two energies inside of him had already combined. He was on borrowed time. When a Devil was exposed to holy energy, his ability to recover was dependent on the amount of remaining unholy energy inside of him.

" _A cut from something like a Holy Sword always leaves behind the same amount of holy energy: just enough to kill whatever it cuts. Regardless of if you cut your finger or got stabbed through the chest, there would be just enough holy energy left in you to be lethal."_

Raw magic eventually took on the properties of other energy it was exposed to, but could only be converted to one thing at a time. The process was slow, and could only take place if there was enough of the other energy present. If a Devil had more than a certain ratio of unholy energy to raw magic, the latter would be converted safely.

" _Holy artifacts are designed to work this way, and it worked wonders back in the time of Demons. Ironically, this is also why most Devils don't die from a single injury."_

Devils, especially the reincarnated ones, weren't only made of unholy energy. Since holy artifacts didn't take this into account, the holy energy often failed to kill by itself. In emergencies, Devils' bodies naturally converted other sources of energy into unholy energy to compensate. The presence of holy energy in the body was enough to trigger the process. Thus, when a holy artifact left just enough holy energy in a Devil to kill him, the Devil's body converted reserve energy into unholy energy to achieve the golden ratio for survival.

" _Light spears work the same way, only with a set capacity of holy energy. Most light spear users are actually trained to project light spears of a certain amount of energy."_

That amount was just enough to kill the average Middle-Class Devil. Saji wasn't Middle-Class, but thanks to his Sacred Gear, his reserves could temporarily exceed it. Unfortunately, he was running on fumes and couldn't use Absorption Line on his allies since Vritra had stopped responding.

" _If, for whatever reason, you are ever stabbed with a light spear and left for dead, and you don't have the required energy to survive it, you have two options."_

Option one: force the body's natural conversion process to target raw magic. Normally, this was impossible since raw magic is poisonous. A Devil's body would only ever attempt to do so if no other energy was available, which meant that the owner was almost assuredly already dead.

Option two: use the raw magic up until he achieved the required ratio.

Long ago, there were upwards of tens of thousands of people who could manipulate it relatively safely. That number was now reduced to the double digits. Saji's only hope for survival lay in becoming one of them, if temporarily.

Fallen and Devil alike watched with growing confusion as the boy did not immediately die. In fact, he continued to cry out in pain for several more seconds as he crumpled to the ground.

It was at this moment that Harry reappeared on the scene after disappearing with Serafall almost an hour earlier. He had a look of confusion on his face, and his hand was outstretched as if he was tweaking a dial. He stared at the offending appendage as if it had betrayed him somehow.

"Damn Ajuka and his bloody stupid Kankara Formula."

One of the female Fallen Angels decided that anyone that didn't have a pair of black wings attached to their back was an enemy, and threw a light spear in the new arrival's direction with surprisingly good aim.

It shattered against the man's cloak.

The man paused and looked at the attacker incredulously, one eyebrow raised. He saw no signs of fear or recognition in the woman's eyes. Ditto for her compatriots.

"Oh come on!" Harry complained. "Does nobody remember me anymore?!" With a snap of his fingers, the remaining Fallen Angels fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Such were the consequences of having no resistance to spiritual magic.

Momo and Ruruko made to run over to Saji, but found that they could not advance past a certain distance, well out of arm's reach. When they tried to speak, their voices didn't work. When they tried to fly or bring Saji to them, they could not channel any magic. Their bodies refused to take any further steps forward. They glared at the only person who could have been responsible, who had his attention on the boy writhing in pain.

Saji grit his teeth, holding on to his arm tightly and to his consciousness even tighter. If he lost focus, he was doomed. He felt more than saw Harry approach him.

Ever since Saji started training to sense different types of magical energy, Harry's presence always felt cold. It was a different type of cold to Sona's or her sister's, which made Saji want to turn the thermostat up. The cloaked man felt like the cold that came with one of Sona-taichou's glares. The chilling type of cold that made one dread what came next. But at the same time, the comfortable type of cold that lulled one to sleep when the rest of the body was warm under a blanket.

None of that mattered now, of course. Harry had admitted that if Saji were ever killed, he could bring him back to life. But, he would be considered unfit to protect Sona. He also told him that if he were ever in danger of death, he would not save him unless he asked for it, with the same condition attached.

And so, he refused to ask for help.

Despite that, it seemed help had decided to provide itself. Saji absently noted as another powerful source of energy appeared nearby. If he had to describe the presence, he'd say it was very… structured. Organized? He heard a few angry words directed at Harry, then felt his own energy stabilizing before he knew no more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ajuka and Harry regarded each other coolly. The former's expression was unreadable, but his eyes were clearly full of anger. Anger, and a hint of confusion. Harry counted it as a win when he couldn't detect any sign the other man felt betrayed. His own expression was as blank as he could make it. It wouldn't do to give the game away now.

"There are several magical signatures approaching. Or… there were."

Harry still didn't say anything or indicate that he had anything to do with anything that had happened over the past couple of hours. Ajuka continued.

"They are now in full retreat."

"That's a good thing, right?" Harry finally asked.

"Yes," the man replied.

Neither of them said anything for several seconds.

"How did your mission go?" Ajuka.

"It succeeded, obviously." Harry.

"Any… complications?"

"None at first. A few in the middle. But everything wrapped up satisfactorily, in my opinion."

"I see. So you consider this… satisfactory?" Ajuka's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes," Harry replied simply.

Another silence. This time, the two of them stared each other down for almost a full minute. Ajuka was the first to speak again.

"When Heaven's leaders arrive, they'll have questions." A challenge.

"I am confident we will have the right answers." His response.

By now, Sona's Peerage had gathered at her side, with Tsubaki having carefully bandaged her wounds earlier. Saji had also been brought over and was being carried by Tsubasa. Ajuka spared them a glance to check over their condition, and promptly lowered the teleportation ward. They all recognized the feeling of the ward being lowered, and teleported away urgently.

"I expect we will all have questions for each other," Ajuka said smoothly.

"And I am confident we will all have the right answers to those questions," Harry returned.

"…On that, we may have to agree to disagree," the Satan said, before turning away.

"No." The one-word answer made the other man stop in his tracks. He turned back around to see Harry's expression had changed from blank to serious.

"Give me one good reason."

"I'll give you twelve."

"…You would use that, now?"

"You don't know yet, but you will. One month, that's all I ask," Harry said resolutely.

"Will our answers change?"

"In one month, we won't be asking the same questions."

"I will," Ajuka said, just as resolutely.

"…No, you won't. But fine. If you want to ask again in a month, then yes, I will give you a different answer."

"A _different_ answer, or the _actual_ answer?"

"In one month, they'll be the same. To anyone who asks. I swear." Harry held his hand out.

"One month," Ajuka said, extending his own hand, expression softening.

The two shook, and said the same thing.

""So mote it be.""

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A few days later, after a quick consultation with Azazel, the closest thing this world had to an expert on Sacred Gears, the leaders and Harry had their next target in mind.

The wielder of the Sacred Gear, Dimension Lost, and by extension, the Hero Faction. But first, it was time for the Three Factions to prepare for war once more. This time, it was not as enemies, but as allies.


	10. RG1of7 Ch7 - Immortal

**Chapter 7 – Immortal**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part One of Seven)**

* * *

" _Another century, another lifetime's worth of memories."_

 _Harry detached the Resurrection Stone from the shrunken Pensieve disguised as a ring and set both on the table before enlarging the Pensieve to its normal size with a mental command. Bringing the Elder Wand to his temple, he began the process of carefully extracting important memories from his soul._

 _Less than an hour later, he lay with the Cloak of Invisibility draped over him like a blanket. Being the only thing that could affect his soul when he was in this state, the Elder Wand was once again pressed to his temple._

" _I entrust them to you."_

 _He felt the Stone in his other hand respond in the affirmative._

 _Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Harry intoned the spell he had cast on himself so many times before, even if he no longer remembered doing so._

" _Obliviate."_

 _Weeks later, Harry Potter was once again laid to rest alongside his family: his daughter, Lily, his twin sons Fred and George, and his third wife, Jasmine. Unbeknownst to anyone else, the last wizard on Earth had just been laid to rest. From the back of the gathered crowd, Harry Potter stayed just long enough to watch the empty coffin descend into the freshly-dug grave. He'd long ago lost count of the number of times he'd attended his own funerals. As he was about to leave, he felt the death of a major world entity, the third in a relatively short time frame._

 _Then, the world ended. But, he still lived._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **About six years ago**

"How do you kill that which cannot die?"

"Stop trying to sound philosophical. That's my job and I'm better at it than you."

"Stop trying to sound smart. That's my job and I'm also better at it than you."

Sirzechs spluttered indignantly at his master and old friend before settling on glaring impotently at them. Harry smiled cheekily in return, while Ajuka scoffed. Eventually, the Crimson Satan gave up and snatched another can of beer, cracking it open before downing half its contents.

"Puah. In all seriousness though, how do you kill someone who's immortal?" he asked.

"You need to be more specific," Harry replied. "What makes them immortal?"

"They don't stay dead. Is there another kind of 'immortal' that I don't know about?"

"So you can kill them, but they come back to life?"

"Oh. Uh, no," Sirzechs corrected. "More like, high-speed regeneration so they never actually die."

"Have you tried complete destruction?"

"Uh, well… Aw, screw it. You know phoenixes, yeah?" Sirzechs asked. The other two nodded. He downed the rest of his alcohol before continuing. "Hypothetically," he emphasized, "let's say I want to kill one. How do I do it?"

"Are we talking about the mythical bird, or the Devil clan?" Harry asked. Ajuka looked at the other man in alarm.

"Uhhhhh. Let's go with the bird."

"Use your Power of Destruction on the body and ask Yasaka or one of her people to seal or destroy the soul."

" _Hypothetically_ ," Sirzechs said, his speech beginning to slur slightly, "assume ah can't." Ajuka shot him a flat look and looked at the can of beer the other man had consumed. It wasn't beer.

"Sirzechs, do you know what you're drinking?"

"Whahuh? Wha' does that matter? And how do I kill the Phenex?"

" _Sirzechs_ ," Ajuka deadpanned, shooting a warning look at Harry to stop answering the now clearly drunk Devil, "why are you asking us how to murder a prominent Devil clan?"

"FUCKIN' PHENEX!" the Crimson Satan suddenly shouted. The next second, he broke into tears. "RIA-TAAAAAN, Onii-chan ish sho… so… SORRY! WAAAH!"

Then, he slumped over in his seat, unconscious.

Harry could only stare dumbly.

"What?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present time**

"Not that I mind, but what brought this on?"

Serafall mumbled incoherently. Harry stared with an amused smile on his lips at the woman hanging from his back like a limpet. A particularly affectionate limpet. It certainly felt nice though, so he wasn't complaining. He had woken up in their shared bed a couple of minutes earlier, and upon attempting to disentangle his body from her limbs had accidentally woken her up as well. Serafall was a very clingy sleeper. Come to think of it, she was a touchy-feely person in general. Again, Harry wasn't complaining.

The way she was rubbing against him in her nudity was a little excessive though.

"Harrrrry~" she cooed into his ear. "Are you gonna teach So-tan today?"

"Not today. She and Rias are observing. Mmph?"

The two of them fell backwards into bed again, and Serafall maneuvered so that she was pinning Harry down with their hands above their heads. A full ten seconds later, she broke the lip lock.

"Okay," Harry said, slightly dazed, "what's the occasion?"

"You've been so busy the past couple of weeks, I felt left out!" she complained with a pout. "I demand cuddle time! And snuggle time! And snoo-snoo!"

"Where did you learn that word?"

"Television!" the Satan admitted shamelessly.

"Please go back to calling it 'sexy fun times.'"

"Orrr! I could call it 'shagging' like you do!"

"I'm British. You're… not," he pointed out.

"Harry, are you gonna make me beg?" The puppy dog eyes she adopted weakened Harry's resolve considerably.

"Grk! S-Sera, you know how Sona gets. How about I promise to get home from work early and spend more time with you later today?"

"Nooope~!" was the cheerful reply. She then froze his hands in place and lowered herself until she was hovering over his pajama bottoms. The nice thing about magical ice was that it could be made to not actually feel cold. Serafall often used this to prank others, though in more recent history Harry was the sole target of her magic in and out of the bedroom.

"Sera, if we keep going, Sona is going to be mad at us both. I don't have a good excuse for being late, and she's smart enough to figure out you would be the only thing that would keep me at home now that the rest of the leaders are busy with organizing their own Factions," Harry reasoned. Meanwhile, Serafall unceremoniously yanked his pants off to reveal his boxers. "I don't have anything else planned after the practice with Sona, Rias, and the rest. How about we just take a shower together and do something extra special tonight?"

Serafall paused with one finger under his waistband and the other on her chin. "Hmm… You promise?"

"Yeah, of course. Pinky swear," he said. He made to offer said finger, but then remembered both his hands were still encased in magical ice. It wasn't that he couldn't just break it, but Harry knew from experience that doing so was not wise. Serafall threw a legendary tantrum the first and only time he broke out of any icy restraints the magical girl put him in.

"Okay!" she said cheerfully.

Harry sighed in relief, but that relief was quickly replaced by alarm (and anticipation) when Serafall ripped his boxers off too and froze his feet to the bed.

"Serafall?"

"Just once then! And since you were a meanie, you have to wait until tonight to finish!"

At Harry's widening look of horror, Serafall giggled innocently and not at all maliciously.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

An hour later, Harry walked out of the shower, fully dressed in his work uniform, to see his not-yet-wife seemingly asleep under the covers again. His pants felt uncomfortably tight despite his cold shower. When she heard him don his cloak with a dramatic flourish (no effort on Harry's part needed), she proved his earlier assumption wrong by sitting up and stretching languidly. He openly stared, even though it made his problem worse.

"Think of it as an incentive to keep your promise," Serafall teased playfully. "Have fun at work!"

Blowing him a kiss, she burrowed into the covers once more and began fake-snoring loudly. Shaking his head in equal parts exasperation and fondness, Harry teleported into his office and came face to face with two angry heiresses and their respective Peerages, all of whom stared at him accusingly. Also present were a reincarnated Angel whose focus wavered between Yuuto and Issei, though she still shot him wary looks from time to time, and a blue-haired Exorcist whose attention was also more directed at the blond, though in her case it was more of a challenging look. Yuuto was doing an admirable job of concentrating on conveying his disapproval of Harry's lateness to the man and pretending he wasn't being scrutinized by two attractive women.

Irina Shidou had initially been introduced to the man known as Harry Potter shortly after reuniting with Michael and the rest of the Heaven contingent. She had instantly frozen upon feeling the oppressive cold aura that her enhanced Angel senses afforded her, and it took Michael's hand on her shoulder and several soothing words from both him and his sister to calm her down. Her senpai, Griselda, fared much better, though she admitted to Irina later in private that her initial reaction was much the same back when she had first met Mr. Potter when she was still a human.

Xenovia, one of the older Exorcist's students, had expressed her disbelief that her teacher would ever be wary of someone like Harry. To her, the man did indeed exude a sort of unapproachable aura despite his generally friendly demeanor, but there was nothing in it that suggested danger. Griselda had just responded with a sigh of disappointment and a promise of harsher training, which made the poor junior Exorcist shrink away in fear.

Harry regarded the two members of Heaven's faction carefully, though he was just as careful not to make it seem as if he were ignoring the two obviously incensed heiresses in front of him. As part of the currently secret alliance between the Three Factions, Irina and Xenovia had been sent to learn how to cooperate with fighters from the other two races. Griselda, who was working on a short assignment along with Ajuka, would join them after she was done. For Irina, and later Griselda, it was further testing for the Brave Saint System. For Xenovia, the leaders of Heaven and her teacher agreed that more real-world experience would be good for the relatively-sheltered girl. His silent contemplation finished, Harry decided to stop stalling.

"Hello, everyone," he greeted casually.

"You're late," Sona said, eye already twitching.

"What were you busy with so early in the morning, I wonder?" Rias asked, cocking one eyebrow.

Sweating slightly under the combined glares and looks of disappointment from the teenagers gathered into his magically-expanded office, Harry debated making something up, but soon realized that the best excuse in this case was the truth.

"Blame Serafall. She kept me from coming earlier."

If his cloak had a hand and a face, it would no doubt have introduced them to each other. As it were, Harry was just subjected to the usual back-of-the-head swat. He could tell it was just as amused as he was though.

Just as planned, mentioning the eccentric Satan instantly spared him from the attention of both Peerages, though Irina and Xenovia adopted looks of confusion before Issei told Irina that was the name of "the magical girl Devil." Irina then told Xenovia, who shuddered and decided to resume trying to provoke a duel with Yuuto without actually asking him for one.

"Leviathan-sama?" Rias probed.

"Did my sister need to 'recharge' again?" Sona asked tiredly. She bitterly remembered being late to more than one meeting or class because she was literally held captive by her older sister. The excuse she gave was more than enough back then, so it would be hypocritical of her to hold her surrogate older brother responsible if he used it too. That she knew he had been busy the past week or so lent credence to his claims.

"You could say that," he answered with a wry smile. Mentally, he warned his cloak to stop fluttering so much. It was going to give it away. "I promised her I would spend some time with her later to make up for it, and she eventually let me go after she… finished."

 _Bugger, this joke just keeps on giving._

"Alright. This wouldn't be the first time, and knowing her, it won't be the last either," Sona said. "We'll be waiting for you in the gym." She signaled the rest of the Devils to leave, and they filed out of his office slowly. Rias was the last one out, sending a suspicious look at the two girls that hadn't moved from their spots. She relented once Harry got her attention and waved her off with a reassuring smile.

The door closed behind her with a resounding click, and Irina and Xenovia stiffened slightly, though for different reasons.

"What can I help the two of you with?" Harry asked gently.

Irina looked troubled, but Xenovia had no problems stating her mind.

"I don't know why my teacher thinks so highly of you, but I don't share her opinion," she said bluntly. Harry was momentarily surprised, but recovered quickly. Before he could respond, she continued speaking.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm sure you're a very powerful Magician."

"Wizard," Harry corrected on reflex.

"Whatever. Wizard." Xenovia waved it off as unimportant. "You're great at magic. And that makes you powerful. Since my teacher is wary of you, you could probably beat me easy." At this, Irina couldn't help but scoff lightly, earning her a glare from her former partner. "But, there's nothing you can teach me. I don't know magic, and I don't intend to learn, therefore my presence here is useless unless I am actively participating in combat or observing swordfighters who are vastly superior in skill to me."

Harry saw where she was going.

"Thus, I request, nay, I demand a spar with the one known as Yuuto Kiba! A rematch! He is the only one here who could defeat me in a fair fight with nothing but our weapons."

"What about your partner?" Harry asked. At the sudden attention, Irina began nervously tugging at the skirt of the Kuoh Academy uniform she was wearing.

"Irina is a talented swordsman, to be sure," Xenovia admitted readily. "But I am still her superior by a slim margin. More importantly, she is now a reincarnated Angel. With her light magic, she can now best me more than half of the time in our spars!"

Xenovia was boasting as if she was the one who had been reincarnated. Harry was once again about to speak up, but was interrupted by the Exorcist.

"As such, we have agreed that it would be in her best interest to train her magical skills alongside her sword skills. His Grace, the Seraph and Archangel Michael, agreed when we approached him with the suggestion. Similarly, he also supports my decision to pursue the pinnacle of path of the sword as a human, the same as my teacher before me."

"Did he offer to reincarnate you?"

"He did. But I refused. I wish to surpass my teacher as a human before I consider myself worthy to join the ranks of Heaven as an Angel. Only then will I be able to hold my head high before the Lord!"

"I see," Harry said, noticing Irina's slight wince. "Unfortunately, there is a good reason why the first match is between Yuuto, Issei, Saji, and myself, but I would be happy to spar with you afterwards."

"Were you listening?" Xenovia asked with an annoyed tone. "I have nothing to learn from you. Nobody here is a master swordsman. The only way that I may improve myself is by fighting someone who possesses greater skill with a sword! I must have my rematch with Yuuto Kiba!" she insisted.

"You may find yourself surprised," Harry replied. "But I'm afraid I still cannot grant your request. Yuuto will likely not be fit to continue fighting after our spar, and it's rather imperative that I test him first." He held a hand up to forestall the complaint he could already see forming on the Exorcist's lips. "However, I can allow you to participate in the first battle on two conditions."

Xenovia silently regarded him before indicating that he should continue talking.

"First, since it's a team competition, you must be willing to fight with myself and Saji, and Irina must be willing to fight with Issei and Yuuto."

Xenovia shared a look with Irina, and the two of them nodded to show their acceptance.

"Good. Second, you must use only Durandal."

"Wha-?!"

"Don't act so surprised. Michael was very forthcoming with information on the two rising stars of Heaven," Harry said. Being complimented defused her anger and the mention of Michael revealing her secrets made the surprise easier to deal with, but Xenovia still looked a little offended that Harry would require her to use the more powerful Durandal when her last duel with Yuuto was with Excalibur Destruction. The wizard was quick to correct her misconception.

"Don't get me wrong. It's not that you'll need the extra firepower from Durandal. Michael told us that you have trouble controlling it anyway, so if anything, it would be more of a handicap. The bigger issue is that you stand no chance with any fragment of Excalibur."

At the outraged look on Xenovia's face, Harry backpedaled again, "Aaah, that came out wrong. It would be more accurate to say that no shard of Excalibur stands a chance against him. His Sword of the Betrayer holds is a mere fraction of the power held by the True Excalibur, but whereas the fragments are each roughly a seventh of the original, his sword is closer to a fourth or a fifth."

Irina chose this moment to jump in, having kept mostly silent up until now. "But I thought his Balance Breaker shifted again?" She shrunk back slightly when Harry turned to look at her, but she didn't break eye contact.

"It did. But his new Balance Breaker is a combination of all his other swords. It allows him to use any of their properties in addition any energy his allies are capable of using," Harry explained. "Though, if he tries to use energy that his body isn't designed to handle, he suffers the same consequences. Also, he can't summon or use any other swords while his Balance Breaker is active."

"You're being awfully open with information on your allies."

"Y-yeah, aren't you together with what's-her-name? Sarah? Doesn't that mean you're affiliated with the Devil Faction?"

"Serafall. We're all allies now, so I'll be telling anyone who asks about you the same with regards to Durandal and your other Angel abilities. That's if they don't know already."

"Hmph. I see," Xenovia scoffed. "You've already told them, so it's only fair you tell us something too. Does that mean you're some sort of ambassador between the Factions?"

"You could call me that," Harry agreed easily. "So do we have a deal?"

Xenovia answered by handing Excalibur Destruction to Irina and drawing Durandal from thin air with a flash of light and the clanging of several chain links.

"I'll see you there," she claimed imperiously before excusing herself and turning left on her way out of Harry's office. The owner of said office decided not to tell her she was heading the wrong way.

"And you?"

Irina jumped a bit.

"You can calm down, Irina. I am not here to hurt you," Harry said soothingly. His words didn't seem to help with the girl's fears, but she did calm down enough to speak without stuttering.

"Michael-sama told me what you were," she started. When he didn't respond, she kept going.

"He told me that God was dead. He told me that you could bring Him back." Still, Harry said nothing, though Irina felt the cold aura ever so slightly intensify. For some odd reason, her attention was also drawn to the man's shimmering cloak. She braved on.

"But… he also told me that God wouldn't let you." Abruptly, the stifling aura vanished.

"And what do you think, Irina?"

"I think- No, I believe in the Lord. I respect and trust in His wishes, and I know that He is with us no matter what, so long as we have faith in Him."

"Then that is all that matters."

When Harry stepped forward to lay one hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, she refused to shrink away in fear. Her Lord was with her in spirit. The whispered words he said before he left to make his own way to the school's gymnasium caused her to break out in a wide smile.

"I'll see you in a bit, Irina," Harry said as the door of his office closed behind him. "I know that He is proud of you."

Five minutes later, a still-smiling Irina rushed off to find Xenovia, having been given a tour of the school earlier by her childhood friend, Issei.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It took the pair of Heaven-sent girls another half hour to make their way over to the gymnasium. Irina had found Xenovia easily enough, but the headstrong Exorcist had insisted on leading the way and somehow wandered off campus grounds and gotten lost in the town despite Irina's increasingly-desperate attempts to get her to turn around. Eventually, Harry had tracked their magical signatures down and retrieved them. At least Irina apologized.

Without another word, Xenovia announced that she would be joining the first match and leveled Durandal at Yuuto in a clear challenge. The rest of the Devils shot questioning looks at Harry, only to receive a shrug and a somewhat muted confirmation in response. In the meantime, Irina skipped over to Issei and reintroduced herself to him and Yuuto. The three of them had a ten-second conversation about strategy before it became clear that the best strategy they could come up with was to stay out of each other's way, at least to begin with.

Issei and Yuuto were familiar with the other's fighting styles, or Issei's case, his lack of one, but Irina only knew what little she saw when she first allied with Yuuto, and had no idea how Issei fought at all. Conversely, neither Issei nor Yuuto really knew enough about Irina to work with her effectively. All of this was to be expected though. They were newly-allied as of a week ago. Their brief meeting complete, the three of them returned to their own separate preparations for combat. Irina began stretching, while Yuuto steadied his breathing and sank into a meditative state.

For his part, Issei stared nervously across the room at his fellow Pawn, Saji. The blond-haired student looked every bit as nervous as he did, but there was also a hint of steel in his eyes. Next to him stood Harry, who for once was not wearing his signature shimmering cloak. Instead, he wore a plain combat uniform consisting of a featureless black shirt, black pants, and the usual pair of dress shoes the man wore to work. Issei couldn't help but still feel wary of him.

Even if the boy hadn't been told the man standing in across the gymnasium floor was capable of snuffing his life out in an instant, he still would not have underestimated him. There was something in the way Principal Potter carried himself that told others he was no ordinary man. When he told Ddraig that he would be fighting the man, the dragon had told him it was nice knowing him. That the dragon refused to change his response despite Issei insisting it was a friendly spar did not inspire confidence either.

Today's sparring exercise, organized by Rias in preparation for her first Rating Game in a couple of weeks, was meant to be a test of teamwork between different combinations of her Peerage members that might be expected to fight together, starting with Yuuto and Issei. The presence of Irina and Xenovia threw a wrench in the works, but Harry had already said the real practice would begin tomorrow after today's initial tests, so everyone figured it was okay.

The rest of Rias' Peerage including Rias herself watched from the sidelines, along with Sona and her Peerage. When told about it by Harry, Sona had agreed her own Peerage members could also use some training in preparation for the upcoming series of Rating Games. Thus, Sona's Peerage was added into the day's plans. Unlike with Rias' Peerage, her own already trained with Harry somewhat regularly, so with the exception of Saji, her Peerage would not actually be fighting today.

Rias had initially expressed some concerns when Harry revealed the first match up, but he answered all of them one at a time.

Why was the first match a two vs. two?

All of the matches were small team battles, the largest of them being a four vs. four, since Rating Games tended to favor these types of confrontations over Kings throwing their entire Peerages at each other at once. Besides, Rias' Peerage only had a single Pawn, Rook, Knight, and Bishop, along with her Queen.

Why did he pick these three people in particular?

Each had achieved either a partial or complete Balance Breaker. Yuuto was capable of using his for a short period of time, while Issei and Saji had both begun to achieve theirs on the brink of unconsciousness. Harry hoped that the two boys who had achieved partial activation would be able to stabilize their growth, while this was also a good opportunity for Yuuto to let loose and gain experience with his in a controlled environment.

Why was Harry participating on a team rather than independently or as a teacher on the sidelines?

At this point, Harry revealed his ownership of a very special Evil Piece known as the Proto-King, the predecessor to all other Evil Pieces. Lent to him by Ajuka, said Piece was unlike other King Pieces that conferred a substantial power boost. Instead, by temporarily bonding with the Proto-King, Harry could take on the properties and abilities of any other Evil Piece. This meant he could gain the increased speed of a Knight, promote like a Pawn, or even perform castling with other Rooks or Kings as a King or a Rook, respectively. With his mastery over his own soul, he could also safely un-bond with the Piece at will when it came time to return it.

He would use no magic or abilities outside of the abilities of whichever Piece he was mimicking at the time and restrict himself to weaponry similar to his counterpart on the other team as well. Almost everyone was surprised Harry owned a set of Evil Pieces in the first place. Did his Pieces still reincarnate the people he gave them to?

Harry explained that the reason Evil Pieces converted their hosts into Devils was because of the exchange of magic between master and servant. Since Harry was not a Devil, no one who joined his Peerage would become one. The Proto-King itself was a holdover from an experimental set of Evil Pieces that contained only a King and Queen, and was not part of Harry's actual set. When asked if he also had the Queen, it was revealed that Akeno was its current host. That had raised a few questions, but everyone involved had refused to elaborate further, except for Akeno reaffirming her loyalty to Rias.

"All right," Harry called out. "Saji and I are ready to go, and Xenovia looks like she's about to start without us anyway. How about you three?"

Irina nodded wordlessly and her Angel wings sprang into existence as she created her favored swords of light in the air around her. She drew Excalibur Rapidly from its sheath at her side. Yuuto and Issei shared a glance and a few words, before Yuuto responded.

"We're ready. Please treat us well, Potter-sensei." His paired gauntlets materialized on both hands, while Holy Eraser rose from the ground in front of him. He pulled it out of the ground and, for the first time since their match, acknowledged Xenovia's challenge.

"Yoooosh! Let's go, Ddraig!" Issei shouted, pumping himself up. The green gem in his Boosted Gear flashed once.

"Alright then, let's get started." Harry commanded the Proto-King Piece inside of him to shift into a Knight, and felt much lighter. A silver sword also manifested in his hands, with rubies set in its hilt. The air around it practically thrummed with energy, but nobody recognized the blade. "Sona, if you would do the honors?"

Sona stood and raised her hand above her head.

"Ready…!"

Harry smirked, unmoving. His smirk widened when the light swords reoriented themselves to point straight at him. Irina tightened her grip on Excalibur Rapidly. Yuuto lowered his center of gravity in preparation for a dash. Xenovia prepared to meet him in the middle. Saji pointed his Sacred Gear at Issei, who responded by pointing his own Sacred Gear back.

"Begin!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The first few seconds of the fight were punctuated by a series of shouts and clangs.

 **BOOST!**

" **Absorption Line**!"

Issei's charge was interrupted by him having to dodge out of the way of the other Pawn's Sacred Gear. What he didn't expect was for the tongue-like appendage to twist in the air and latch on to his foot. Thankfully, it was severed by a sword of light before it could accomplish much. The Boosted Gear wielder quickly recovered from his awkward side-step and resumed his forward progress. In this test spar, the ends of the gym where each team started was the Promotion Zone for the other team's Pawn.

"Raaah!"

"Haaah!"

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out as Yuuto's superior speed allowed him to catch Xenovia slightly off-guard near the beginning of her own charge. Unfortunately for him, the latent will of Durandal made up for its wielder's carelessness and gave the sword enough force to deflect what would have been a solid first blow. Not enough to disable, but certainly enough to hinder. Not letting up, Yuuto circled around to her back, but found his progress blocked by the flat of his opponent's massive blade.

"Compensating for something, or do you just like the size of the swords you hold?" he tried taunting her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! Don't waste my time with meaningless chatter!" was the response.

Having not moved from his starting position, Harry observed all of this even as he used his Knight speed to avoid or destroy the incoming light swords launched by Irina.

"Y'know, this was supposed to be a team battle," he commented drily as the reincarnated Angel flew above other fights to land in front of him. She had the decency to look sheepish.

"Well, Issei-kun and Yuuto-san agreed that we don't really know each other well enough to fight as a team," she admitted, "so we just kinda agreed to keep to ourselves for now." The facepalm from her opponent made her even more embarrassed.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?"

And just like that, she was on alert. Without the help of Excalibur Rapidly, Irina would not have been able to catch Harry as he tried to dash past her and go for Issei. Even with its help, she still had to materialize several swords in the man's intended path to force him to slow down enough for her reposition herself between him and Issei. The casual way Harry parried her subsequent attack caused her eyes to widen, but she was left completely flat-footed when the man passed through her as if she were a ghost to catch Issei off-guard and nearly skewer him.

"What was that?!" Rias exclaimed.

"Jumping," Tomoe, Sona's Knight, supplied helpfully. "It's an advanced Knight technique that lets us go through other people to attack someone behind them. I can't do it yet though."

Irina's sharp hearing caught the explanation from the sidelines.

"What kind of cheat ability is that!" she complained. "You're almost as bad as the stupid Stray Exorcist from a week ago!" She ran over under the influence of her Excalibur shard and managed to ward the man off temporarily, but before she could do much else, he dashed through her again and this time struck at Yuuto, who was more prepared, but still hard-pressed to deal with both Harry and Xenovia's attacks.

Xenovia was predictably angry at the interference in what she considered a duel, but Harry was quick to remind her that it was not, in fact, a duel and that she was welcome to challenge Yuuto some other time. If it made her feel better, he would promise to force the two of them into a duel in a week's time. This placated her and the two of them turned back to their common opponents, but their momentary distraction had cost them.

" **Balance Breaker: Unified Will**!"

Harry had only a split second to raise his guard before he was blown backwards by the explosion of energy Yuuto's sword released when it impacted his. Xenovia fared little better, and had her own sword nearly torn from her hands when she tried to block.

 **BOOST!**

His strength doubled again, Issei frantically ran along the side of the battlefield, knowing he would mostly be a liability until he either Boosted enough to use his new attack, the Dragon Shot, or he Promoted himself into a Bishop to fire more Dragon Shots or a Rook for increased melee firepower. He had been told by both Harry and Rias that Promoting to a Queen was out of his reach for now, though both of them hoped that the next few days of training would change that. He had to hurriedly duck as another Absorption Line flew over his head, but then found his legs frozen to the floor by a surprise display of magic from his rival Pawn.

On the sidelines, Sona's eyes widened before she shook her head with a smile. Apparently whatever had passed between him and Serafall had convinced her older sister to help the poor boy out. She appreciated his earnestness and his willingness to endanger himself for her, but she still wasn't romantically interested in him yet. However, he _was_ the first person other than Harry that Serafall no longer freaked out over spending time with her, so that was something to consider.

Harry noted the expertly-cast beginner-level ice magic with a hint of pride, which was a little strange since he hadn't been involved in teaching the boy at all. Serafall had insisted. He was forced to resume paying attention to the opponents closer to him when a blade of wind from Yuuto nearly cut into his sword arm. That Balance Breaker really was something else.

Refocusing on the fight at hand, Harry took stock of the situation. While he had been distracted, Xenovia had been cornered by a scattering of light swords from Irina in combination with Yuuto's superior swordsmanship. The reincarnated Angel was floating a couple of meters off the ground, half of the light swords behind her pointed in his general direction while she directed the rest to cut off Xenovia's escape routes. The Exorcist sported several wounds and was limping slightly. Yuuto was slowly herding her towards Saji, who had also been making his way from one end of the gym to the other, but could no longer proceed as stealthily since there were light swords in his way.

Deciding he had seen enough to be satisfied with the stability of Yuuto's soul, Harry practically teleported to Xenovia's side in a display of speed that shocked both of her opponents, tossing his sword like a javelin at Irina. The light swords that had previously been tracking the wizard impacted uselessly along his path behind him, and Irina was knocked out of the air as she blocked the makeshift lance that was traveling too far for her to avoid. Yuuto was given no time to contemplate his partner's well-being as he was taken to the ground with an unexpected application of martial arts. This drew a gasp from half of the spectators.

Still, Yuuto didn't give up. He reluctantly let Unified Will fade away in favor of summoning a random selection of swords in his general vicinity to protect himself and hopefully score an injury on Harry. He was on his feet in the next second, but only saw Xenovia nearby. Turning around hurriedly, he saw Harry with his sword to Irina's neck.

"That's one down," he stated. The action paused momentarily. "You did good, Irina. You too, Xenovia. Both of you can take a rest." Xenovia looked like she was about to complain, but a look from Harry and then her former partner silenced her and she huffed petulantly.

"Issei, Saji." The two he addressed tensed. Issei had shattered his restraints earlier and was three-quarters of the way to the other side, while Saji had been stalled on the other side of the gym and was only about a third of the way across. "Let's finish up. Go pick your Promotion. Yuuto, I've gotten all the information I need from you, so you can rest as well. Deactivating your Balance Breaker was a smart move, but you won't be able to use it again without consequences for a bit, and there's no point in continuing if you can't fight at full strength."

Yuuto straightened his posture and nodded in acceptance, walking over to Asia, who was already busy healing the other two combatants. He was by far the least damaged physically, but mentally, he was exhausted. Keeping up with both Xenovia and Harry for that small amount of time had drained him, and maintaining his Balance Breaker state had further taxed his reserves. Still, he was proud of his performance. He would ask Harry or Souji about "jumping" later. His pride stung a bit when he noticed that the former looked as good as new, but chalked it up to magic.

"What are you two waiting for?" Harry asked the two Pawns who still hadn't moved. "We're still not done yet. From now on, it's both of you against me. I'll stay a Knight."

Swallowing his nervousness, Issei made his way to the line that signified the Promotion Zone and shouted, "Promotion, Bishop!"

Meanwhile, Saji's expression was the most serious it had been all day as he, too, made his way to the opposite side of the gym and shouted, "Promotion! Bishop!"

Harry raised his eyebrows at their selections, not expecting them to choose the same Piece.

"Well then. You have sixty seconds to discuss strategy. When there's ten seconds left, I'll let you know."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei and Saji regarded each other for the first ten seconds in silence. All of the spectators wondered what was going on, as Harry just smiled faintly. After some unspoken signal, they both raised their right hands at the same time and grasped each other's tightly, shaking once. Then, they began whispering rapidly. Harry could enhance his hearing, but considered it cheating and chose not to. Instead, he readied his sword.

Forty seconds later, he said, "Ten seconds. Get ready. Sona?"

The two teenagers abruptly stopped, whispered a couple more things to each other, then nodded.

Sona counted down slowly.

"Three… two… one… Begin!"

 **BOOST!**

Harry burst into action before Ddraig finished calling out the activation of his ability, covering the distance at a fraction of his previous speed, but still plenty fast. He was surprised when Saji stepped in front of Issei and put his hands together.

"Ice… WALL!" he shouted.

The next instant, Harry stopped sharply to avoid running face-first into the ceiling-high wall of cloudy ice that appeared in his path. From the sidelines, more than one person was staring, open-mouthed.

"Impressive," Harry admitted. And it was. For someone who had likely been practicing elemental magic for all of a week to achieve something like this, even with the aid of the Evil Pieces, was nothing short of prodigious. It wasn't particularly difficult in terms of power to make a giant wall of ice, but to make it high enough to go from the floor to the ceiling of the gymnasium, and wide and thick enough that Harry would have to run around it rather than just side-step or cut through it, spoke of a focus that few mages rarely achieved.

While he and most of the others were busy admiring the spell, Harry almost missed the slowly brightening red glow, dimmed as it was by the opaque ice.

" **Dragon Shot**!" came the shout from behind the ice wall, mere moments before the equivalent of a magical laser burned a hole through it and nearly slammed into Harry's chest if he had not thrown himself to the side at the last second.

" **Absorption Line**!"

 _What is he thinking!_

Harry frantically avoided the twisting tongue-like appendage that doggedly pursued him despite his erratic movements. The next moment…

" **Dragon Shot**!"

The laser somehow clipped his leg, sending Harry crashing to the floor. His sword flew out of his hands due to his forward momentum.

"Ice Prison!"

His hands and feet were frozen to the floor. What in the world was going on?

"Now, Issei!"

" **Dragon** **Shot**!"

The voice sounded strained, but the laser still shot out from his gauntleted hand. Harry watched it approach him in slow motion with an expression of both surprise and fatherly pride.

Sometimes, he hated his body.

The laser hit him right in the middle of his chest, blasting him backwards and tearing the wizard-turned-Knight free from his icy restraints. He tumbled for a couple of seconds before crashing into the magically-reinforced wall of the gym, crumpling into a heap.

There was silence as everyone tried to process what had just happened.

"Did we… get him?" Issei asked tentatively. The ice wall had vanished, and he was still kneeling in position from his three consecutive Dragon Shots. He had his hand outstretched, ready to fire a fourth, but it was clear he was on his last legs.

"I… doubt it…" Saji replied. "But… we got a good hit in… at least." The teenager was equally tired, collapsed on his hands and knees, sweat streaming down his face. He panted wildly in between short phrases, and couldn't even muster the strength to stand.

A few seconds later, his words were proven true as Harry slowly pushed himself to his feet. Issei groaned and cursed about "overpowered handsomes that cheated in the lottery of life." Harry smirked cheekily in response. Other than his clothing, which only really sported a slight scorch mark from the two lasers that hit him, the man was still uninjured and looked like he could run a couple more marathons before getting tired.

"That was very well done, you two," he complimented. Off to the side, Sona was pinching the bridge of her nose as Rias continued to alternate looking open-mouthed at her Pawn, for successfully executing such a plan, and at Harry for surviving it no worse for wear. The members of each Devils' Peerages and the two girls from the Heavenly Faction sported similar looks of awe and incomprehension.

"Using my own warnings against me was a stroke of genius on your part, Saji. Explain it to Sona later, it'll impress her," he continued speaking. Saji's face gained a hopeful look at that, and he glanced at the Student Council President, who returned his gaze with a soft smile of pride and exasperation. Harry just knew that the boy was on Cloud Nine after that small concession, and gave a smile of his own in Sona's direction, which she turned away from with a blush. Chuckling to himself, Harry approached the spectators while Asia had grown tired of waiting and already made her way over to the two Pawns to help them recover.

"Today was a very productive day," he started. "I'm satisfied with all of their growths, and already have a few things in mind for training ideas. Normally, I'd call it quits here. But…"

The remaining members of Rias' Peerage stood, sans Asia, and stepped forward. Rias snapped out of her trance just fast enough to join them.

"Now it's our turn, right?" she asked. Next to her, Akeno licked her lips seductively, already dressed in her combat miko outfit. Gasper and Koneko just nodded. "What will the teams be this time?"

"Change of plans. All of you against me," Harry said simply. "Gasper and Akeno will be working together, assisted by Asia. Koneko and you will also form a pair."

The four of them looked at Harry in confusion, while Asia, Ruruko, and Momo helped the two Pawns stand and walk over to the rest of them.

Harry just fished out his ever-present necklace and wiggled it a bit before giving it a light tap. In the next instant, two Harry Potters stood side by side. From his new position as part of the spectators, Issei groaned again in frustration.

"Gasper, Akeno, Asia" one Harry said, "the three of you will be facing me as a Bishop."

"Rias, Koneko," the other Harry said, "the two of you will face me while I'm a Rook."

"It's still a team battle of sorts," Bishop-Harry said, "but remember, this is more a test than anything else," Rook-Harry finished. "I have a theory I want to test."

* * *

A/N: **The update schedule for Last Rites is now posted on my profile!**

Issei does not get to boost every ten seconds. Instead of a set cooldown, the Boosted Gear functions like every other Sacred Gear and is fueled by its user's soul. The more Issei wants to win, the sooner he can Boost again. This also conveniently explains multi-Boosting.

There will be much fewer lectures and explanations from now on. Most of the important stuff was the different schools of magic and how they interact with each other. The information about Sacred Gears and the changes made to the Evil Piece System are important too, but only in terms of how each interacts with the soul.

For those who commented or messaged about them, from this point forward, flashbacks will always be relevant within their arcs. Any flashbacks from the previous arc that would have been relevant in current or future arcs will have its content paraphrased when the time comes. No "filler" flashbacks will be included, though not all of a flashback will be important. We don't want to turn flashbacks into quick facts like "Hundreds of years ago, Harry decided to kick Great Red's ass in the Dimensional Gap just to see if he could. Surprise, Lilith is actually his illegitimate daughter!" (This did not actually happen, though it is a spin-off of a discarded idea.) It would be difficult to tell the story without them entirely since we do not want to include a timeline or chapters only covering the time skip period.

As always, your feedback is invaluable to us. Please leave a review or feel free to ask us questions via PM. We will do our best to answer them all.

In the next update, the rest of the cast gets a turn, more characters from DxD are introduced, and Death gets reacquainted with Reflect!


	11. RG2of7 Ch8 - Potential

**Chapter 8 – Potential**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Two of Seven)**

* * *

Casting magic was very easy to grasp and very difficult to master. Focus on what you want to happen and pour enough power into it, and anyone could cast a spell successfully one hundred percent of the time. Failure only came through a lack of focus, or a lack of power. Thus, incantations were largely unnecessary except to help the mind focus. With this in mind, Gasper and Akeno tried again to cast their intended spells, Gasper a spell to blind Harry and Akeno a simple lightning bolt she had cast an uncountable number of times before. So it was that both were rightfully perplexed and frustrated once more when nothing happened while Bishop-Harry across from them remained sitting casually on the ground.

The rules of their "fight" were relatively simple. Harry would sit on the ground and do absolutely nothing until he was first attacked. Even then, he was not allowed to cast any offensive or defensive spells of his own, only taking control of an existing spell directed at him, a feat that was ridiculously difficult to accomplish even for the most advanced Magicians, and using said spell for his own ends. He would be considered defeated if he ever moved from the small circle he occupied in the center of the gymnasium floor, either due to a spell or of his own volition.

"Thanks," he said a couple of seconds later as a shield of inky darkness sprang to life around him and a lightning bolt sailed over in the direction of Rias and Koneko.

"Hey!" Rias shouted. "Watch where you're aiming those!"

"It's not me!" Akeno complained. She was getting sick and tired of not being able to fling her lightning around like she usually did, and briefly considered using her Rook-boosted strength as a result of being a Queen Piece to punch the irritating grin off of her Harry's face, but physical contact was forbidden for them.

"Eyes on the prize, Rias!"

"Buchou!"

Rook-Harry and Koneko collided right in front of the distracted heiress, with Koneko at a natural disadvantage due to her smaller frame and thus shorter reach. On the flip side, she was a smaller target and was more experienced in martial arts than Harry, so she was just barely able to throw him across the gym back to where he had started the practice fight minutes ago before he was able to land any crippling blows. Still, Koneko wasn't completely uninjured. On top of being tired from the relatively short fight so far, both of her legs and her arms ached from blocking and redirecting Harry's attacks. Her bruises had been healed over time by Asia.

The rules of their fight were simple as well. Unlike the other group, Rias and Koneko were allowed to attack either Harry, but also had to contend with attacks from both, or as much as Bishop-Harry could steal from Rias' other Peerage members at any rate. One solid hit on Bishop-Harry, and he would be considered incapacitated. Rook-Harry, however, could only be defeated by a solid blow _after_ his partner was taken out, or if Rias ever managed to tag him with the Power of Destruction.

The fight so far had been a singularly frustrating experience for Rias. The first thing she had tried to do was blanket the entire area with her family's specialty magic, but that had been thwarted when the Rook-Harry had picked up the Bishop-Harry, much to the latter's dismay, and thrown him at her. After that, it was agreed that such a blanket use of her magic circumvented the point of the test, which was to see how well she could work with her own Rook. Not to mention it defeated the point of having Bishop-Harry remain stationary. It was interesting to watch one Harry glare at another while the glared-at Harry whistled innocently.

And that led to the stalemate the seven combatants found themselves in. Harry the Bishop didn't move or do anything except subvert any attempts by Gasper and Akeno to cast magic on him. Gasper and Akeno weren't allowed to do anything but attempt to cast magic on the stationary Harry. Meanwhile, Harry the Rook defended the immobile version of himself and took advantage of any distraction on either Rias or Koneko's part to land a couple of attacks. Rias was unable to hit him with the Power of Destruction, and when she aimed for Bishop-Harry, her magic fizzled out before it reached him. Koneko, despite all her martial arts prowess, was incapable of taking down the juggernaut that was Harry Potter the stupid, unstoppable, unfairly strong, and impossible Rook who gave good head pats. Off to the side, Asia, who was considered untouchable unless she tried to attack, healed Koneko as necessary.

"I know what you want us to do, but Koneko just learned how to perform Castling a week and a half ago, and I just initiated it for the first time yesterday!" Rias shouted at Rook-Harry. "It's unreasonable to expect her or me to be good enough to get past you!"

"I don't expect you to succeed," he replied, "though I wouldn't be too surprised if you did. This is a test. Show me what you're made of. Come on, Koneko. I know you can do more than this. You too, Rias. Show me what you've been practicing with Sirzechs. He refuses to tell me anything. I can't train you if I don't know at least most of what you're capable of. We're searching for your limits, just like Issei and Saji found theirs."

"Rrrrrgh! You! Are! Impossible! **Destruction Lance**!" A dark-red bolt of energy suddenly shot out from a magic circle in front of Rias. Unfortunately, it was not traveling too fast for Harry to gracefully side-step it. The sight made Rias fume all the more.

"There you go! That's new!" Harry cheered. He would never admit it, but he had actually underestimated the area of effect of that spell and it technically clipped the edge of his arm. Thankfully, it left no mark.

Akeno and Gasper looked at their adversary scornfully, though the expression looked out of place on Gasper. Then, Akeno facepalmed, causing her partner to look at her questioningly.

"Akeno-senpai?"

"Gasper-kun, could you try using your Sacred Gear please?"

The light of realization dawned in the Dhampir's eyes, though Harry just continued to sit there, uncaring. Even as Gasper walked over so that Harry would be caught in his field without Akeno sharing the same fate, the other Bishop didn't do anything and just watched him curiously. At this point, even Rias and Koneko turned to watch, though they kept a wary eye on their opponent to make sure he didn't try anything. Rook-Harry, however, was content to let them find out on their own.

After Gasper successfully froze the other Harry in time, he carefully reduced the area of effect so that one side of the frozen Harry was open to attack without anything being caught in the Dhampir's Sacred Gear. Koneko made to approach, but was blocked by her opposing Rook.

"Nice try, but it's far from over," he said.

"I don't see how," Akeno responded. She held a lightning bolt in her hand with no small amount of glee, the first she had been able to conjure and control since the fight started. "All I have to do now is shock the other you until he is forced to move after Gasper-kun releases his time field."

"How much do you know about chess, Rias?"

"Not much, admittedly," Rias replied cautiously. "I know the basic rules, but Sona's the prodigy."

"Very well then. Grandmaster Sona!" Harry shouted, raising his voice.

Bemused, Sona raised her voice to respond, "Yes?"

"What is a tempo in chess?"

"It is a term referring to a turn or a move. When a player accomplishes some desired goal one move faster than usual, he or she is said to have 'gained a tempo'," she answered readily.

"Just so. The opposite, as you might imagine, is 'losing a tempo'," Harry said. "Granted, Ajuka never incorporated something like that into the Evil Piece System, but the concept still applies. Kinda. Sorta." When he saw the blank stares from his listeners, Sona included, he just sighed.

"Forget it. Go ahead and try your idea, Akeno."

Without hesitation, the girl flung the bolt of lightning at the literally immobilized Harry. It struck true. Deciding a few more were in order, the Fallen Angel-Devil hybrid then proceeded to throw a dozen more at him, all of them striking the frozen Bishop-Harry dead center in the chest. The others watched in morbid fascination as Akeno continued to throw more and more lightning, until Rook-Harry coughed pointedly and shot her a flat look. Even Rias and Koneko were deadpanning at her, while Gasper had steadily increased the size of his field and backed up slowly while the onslaught of lightning impacted the victim of its effects.

"Alright, Gasper-kun. I think you can drop it now," Rias said.

With visible relief, Gasper did as suggested and let the field disappear. Everyone else watched the now-unfrozen Harry expectantly, and was equal parts disappointed and confused when he just blinked in response and yawned.

"HOW!?" was the cry from several people.

Meanwhile, Akeno developed a severe twitch in her eye and brought her hands together to summon the biggest bolt of lightning she possibly could, only to realize that her magic was once again not responding. To her horror, and to the horror and dismay of her teammates, she saw the Bishop-Harry raise one hand above him, where a gigantic hammer of lightning began to manifest itself. Gasper and Asia's eyes widened, while the Dhampir scrambled to put more distance in between him and the two magical powerhouses.

"Knowing you, Akeno, you'll enjoy this. Have fun!" the temporary Bishop remarked cheerfully, before bringing his hand down in a fist in Akeno's direction. The hammer mimicked his action and slammed into the floating Queen, flooding her body with untold amounts of electricity. Or so it seemed. In reality, Harry had just made it look as if that was what had happened, while knocking Akeno out with a well-timed stunner. After all, Akeno wasn't screaming or anything, and it wasn't like he was out to kill them.

"Well, I'd say I have a pretty good idea of her limits now," Bishop-Harry said. Rias gaped at him, while Gasper whimpered from his position behind the spectators.

Rias tried her hardest to look angry, but quickly deflated. "If I didn't know you better, I would have tried to kill you by now," she said tiredly.

"But you looove me," he said back, earning himself a petulant glare. "Fine, you _really_ love me." Smack. Harry laughed as Rias stomped back to her side of the gym after smacking him on the arm.

"Oh no, I have been defeated!" he said dramatically. His opponents scoffed.

"So what now, evil mastermind?" Rias asked with a pout. "Got some other nefarious plan to make us unleash our full power? Gonna bully my poor Bishops now?"

"Actually, no," Rook-Harry replied, to Gasper and Asia's combined relief. Rias eyed him warily. He signaled his other self, who then vanished from existence. "I've tested Akeno. I already knew what Gasper's capable of going into this thanks to Sirzechs. Asia over there is nearing her limit as well." At that, Rias looked over at her newest Bishop, who valiantly tried to smile, but failed to hide her tired state.

"Asia, you were supposed to tell us if you were tired!" she admonished the former nun.

"D-Don't worry about it, Rias-sama! I can still go on if you need me!" she replied. Her statement was somewhat diminished when she stumbled in place.

"No. Enough's enough for today." Rias said as she motioned to Gasper. "You don't need her or Gasper for anything else, right?"

When Harry shook his head, Rias immediately ordered the two of them to go rest with the others, enlisting the help of the slightly-recovered Issei to get Asia to move. Concern for the girl overriding his urge to give in to her weak complaints, Issei half-dragged and half-carried Asia over to the rest of the spectators with some help from Yuuto. Gasper collapsed into the nearest seat, with a whispered "I thought I was gonna die…"

"So…?" Rias questioned. Next to her, Koneko sat patiently, knowing her evaluation wasn't over yet.

"So… Now it's time for your actual test to start," Harry proclaimed. He made a show of repairing any damage the gym had sustained and vanishing any debris or scraps of clothing from the ground. When he was done, everything looked as good as new.

"Our actual test?"

"Yes. You're the King of your Peerage, Rias. As such, you are its most important member. You are responsible for the well-being of each of its members, including yourself, and there are way too many things to consider and learn about for me to really teach you about your Piece."

"…Talk too much," Koneko complained. Harry paused to shoot her a dirty look, which she responded to with her usual blank, innocent face. Harry narrowed his eyes and saw the faintest hint of the corner of the little girl's lips twitching upwards.

"I'm on to you, little kitty."

"Nyaaa."

"Grk!" Harry had to stop himself from fawning over the girl when she made that adorable sound. Her older sister was a terrible influence on her, he just knew it. In the corner of his eyes, he saw several of the girls fall victim to the display, while Issei fainted straight away with a nosebleed. He didn't know that happened in real life. Maybe Rias' anime wasn't so far-fetched after all? He dismissed the thought.

"Fine. This last test is simple and quick. Serafall's waiting for me to finish work, after all," Harry said. "You and Koneko against me."

"What Piece are you?" Rias asked.

"Pawn," Harry returned. Issei and Saji perked up, the former having somehow regained consciousness. "And King."

Everyone waited patiently for Harry to explain himself.

"Never underestimate the power of the Pawn. It is the only Piece which can increase its worth mid-combat. You and Sona both have Pawns which took over half your total Pawns. In your case, Issei took all eight."

"But how do you plan on being a Pawn and a King at the same time? Are you going to duplicate yourself again?"

"Call it a bug in the system, though I'm fairly sure Ajuka included it on purpose. In normal chess and in Rating Games, Pawns can only Promote to other major Pieces. Queens, Bishops, Knights, Rooks…" Harry listed off. "They cannot Promote to a King. In both chess and Rating Games, having two Kings would distort the victory objective. However, there's a deeper reason why this is the case. Two or more Kings cannot exist simultaneously because chess, and Rating Games, are meant to be war simulations. In war, there is assumed to be a chain of command. The King acts as the general of the whole army; there is no-one above him. But, under the right circumstances, command can be passed on. In what scenario might a lower-ranking officer assume command?"

His question was directed at both Rias and Sona.

"If the ranking officer is killed or incapacitated?" Sona guessed. "But using that analogy, wouldn't the Queen be second-in-command, and thus become King before a Pawn?"

"Very good, Sona. But, take the analogy further."

Harry tapped his Time-Turner, and suddenly there were five other Harrys. Then, each of the other Harry's touched his own shirt and a picture of a different chess piece was displayed on it in white. The casual display of power shocked everyone, who had not known Harry was capable of making multiple copies of himself.

"I can't maintain all these copies," King-Harry stated, answering the unasked question. "But I can long enough to illustrate this point. If I die," he said, disappearing.

"Then I take over," the Queen-Harry continued. All eyes shifted to him. "If I die…" he trailed off, disappearing as well.

"Going by relative worth, I'm next in line to command," Rook-Harry said. "Rooks are worth five Pawns, after all." He disappeared.

"Then it's our turn." Bishop-Harry. "Bishops and Knights are both worth three pawns." Knight-Harry. "But alas, both of us are incapacitated as well." They both disappeared, leaving only one Harry left, wearing a plain black shirt.

"Command falls to me," he said plainly. "Command of nobody but myself, and possibly other Pawns, but command all the same. However, there's one important difference between Rating Games and real chess."

"I'm worth ten Pawns…" Issei whispered.

"I'm only worth six," Saji said unhappily.

"Pawns are the only that can increase their worth," Harry repeated himself. "They do this by Promoting themselves with or without permission from their Kings after the exemplary task of infiltrating the heart of enemy territory. The literal meaning of the word is to advance upwards in rank."

By this time, everyone was listening with rapt attention.

"In practice, Queens take over in emergencies where Kings are unable to command. But a Queen can never become King. The Evil Pieces disallow it."

"How do you know a Pawn can become a King?" Sona asked. "There have been no recorded cases."

"Because I got curious one day and tried it out," Harry replied simply. He could practically hear the face-faulting. Then, he decided he needed to stop watching anime late at night with Serafall. Clearing his throat, Harry teleported himself to the far end of the gym, causing Rias and Koneko to squint at him.

"I will start as a Pawn, and Promote to a King under my own power. No special rules, except if you are defeated, Koneko fails!" he shouted at them.

"How do we win?" Rias shouted back.

"You don't. You survive! **Promotion, King**!"

The shockwave of power instantly set everyone else on edge. Koneko's ears and tail revealed themselves of their own accord as the girl got on all fours and hissed.

Without warning, Harry charged forward, ready to punch Rias through the opposite wall. His two opponents barely registered movement before he was already on them.

"Wha-!"

"Buchou!"

It all happened in slow motion. In a flash of light, Rias found herself sitting on the ground slightly to the left of where she had previously been standing. In her place, Koneko, with vertically slit pupils, had somehow blocked Harry's initial strike. The ground underneath the petite girl and right next to Rias cratered under the force.

"HARRY, WHAT ARE YOU-"

"If you have time to talk," Harry said while launching a vicious kick that blasted Koneko away, "you have time to FIGHT BACK!" He then stomped with his raised leg, further cratering the magically-reinforced gym floor. Rias, who had hurriedly backed away, was blown backwards. A moment later, Harry was once again standing over her, but this time he had his sword in hand, about to descend on her head.

Again, Rias' vision filled with light, and this time she found herself standing far away from her previous position watching Harry's blade descend on to Koneko.

Several screams came from several different people, but none of them did anything to stop Harry's arm. Koneko herself had her eyes wide open, tracking the movement of the blade as it neared the perfect position. In a flurry of movement, she performed an extremely complicated blade disarm the increased flexibility and strength her rarely-used Nekoshou form afforded her. As the sword went flying, she body-checked the slightly-stunned Harry and knocked him backwards a few steps.

"Not yet!" he shouted. With a thought, the sword was back in his hands, and he wasted no time throwing it at Rias. The redhead had gained enough awareness to channel her Power of Destruction, but found out too late that it didn't affect Harry's thrown sword. Another flash of light. She was now standing in front of Harry, her Power of Destruction still raging at her fingertips. Without hesitation, she loosed the strongest blast she could muster into the man's side. It fizzled into nothingness as soon as it left her fingertips.

Just as she was about to summon forth energy to try again, she found her slender arms in the man's crushing grip, and was bodily thrown at her partner. Koneko caught her despite the difference in mass between the two of them and set her down gently. Harry hadn't moved from his spot and stared at them challengingly. His sword vanished from underneath Koneko's foot, causing her to narrow her eyes in irritation, and reappeared in its owner's hands.

"See? I knew you two could do it!" Harry shouted.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Rias screamed back. "What part of this is a test?!"

"All of it, of course!"

With that, his blade began glowing and he slashed thin air with it, sending a visible wave of energy at the two girls. They dove in opposite directions.

"Harry. Cheating," Koneko managed to deadpan, rolling to her feet.

"How long do we have to survive this?" Rias asked, wondering to herself if Harry had stolen that particular move from a video game.

"Until I'm satisfied!"

Harry teleported next to Rias. She tried to block the incoming stab with a hastily-constructed shield, but the sword passed through as it if nothing were there. It was only Koneko yanking her backwards that prevented it from scoring a wound on her arm. The petite Nekoshou was panting from executing Castling three times in addition to maintaining her Youkai powers.

"Hmm. Koneko I'm impressed with. But you, Rias… you disappoint me. Issei! Yuuto! Gasper!"

The three boys started suddenly at being called on.

"Help your King! And you, Rias!"

He grasped Koneko with magic and casually tossed her in the direction of the spectators, leveling his sword at the girl who scrambled to her feet.

"Your Queen is gone. You've lost your healer. Show me what you're capable of as a King. Convince me you're worth my time," he demanded before using magic to throw her in the direction of her approaching Peerage members. "I know you're better than this!" he shouted after her.

Her Peerage caught her easily.

"Buchou, are you alright?" Yuuto asked worriedly. His gauntlets were equipped, and he held Holy Eraser. His Balance Breaker was ready to be used, but he hadn't fully recovered yet, so he probably wouldn't be able to use it for long.

Rias nodded, but she directed a worried glance at Harry, who was slowly walking towards them. His aura of power seemed to diminish slightly.

"What's the plan, Rias-buchou?" Issei asked. The Boosted Gear was already manifested on his left arm, but the voice of Ddraig was silent. For some reason, Issei could tell that he had kept his Boosts and Promotion from before, but he was still running on empty.

"Koneko, how are you feeling?" Rias asked instead of answering.

"Still okay" was the reply. Harry drew nearer, but showed no signs of being in any rush to reinitiate combat. His aura was now noticeably weaker, though Rias estimated it was still on the level of Sirzechs when he was sparring with his Peerage.

"Yuuto? Issei? Gasper?"

The three boys gave quick summaries of their conditions. Harry had stopped a few meters away, seemingly content to let them discuss and plan. His aura was now completely gone, but if she looked just a little below the surface, it was still there, just contained. The way the man was twirling his sword around impatiently let Rias know that his passive state wouldn't last for long. She wished Asia and Akeno were in better condition, but knowing Harry, he had probably planned this somehow.

"Gasper, blind him. Yuuto, Koneko, keep him busy. Issei and I will shoot as much magic as we can at him," Rias said. She didn't know how exactly she was going to prove herself a worthy King, but she figured coming up with a workable strategy was as good a place to start as any. Harry's next words made her heart sink.

"Nope. Gasper's magic is ineffective. You've lost him. Strike one." He punctuated his words with a snap, and the Dhampir fell to the ground, unconscious. "Having Yuuto and Koneko distract me was a good idea, so they stay. Issei doesn't have the juice to shoot anything, so he goes. Strike two." Another snap, and Issei was unconscious too. None of them had moved from their spots yet.

Rias stared at the two fallen members of her Peerage in slight shock, before she realized the man responsible was still talking.

"Your magic has no effect, but I'm distracted. Yuuto and Koneko disarm me, and I don't have the time to re-arm myself. I'm fully occupied by them. However, they're tired." Snap. Yuuto dropped to his knees, Holy Eraser sinking into the ground as he struggled to stay upright. Likewise, Koneko collapsed on the ground, not having the benefit of holding something capable of supporting her. Both of them were gasping for air.

"The situation won't last for long. Next?" Harry made a show of letting his sword dissolve into motes of light.

Obviously, this was a test of her strategic thinking. Rias reasoned that she had failed whatever other tests Harry had put forth and was now being tested this way instead. It was too bad she wasn't Sona. No doubt her rival would have answered this easily. Then again, it was Harry she was supposed to be planning for. How did somebody plan for someone like him?

"Tick, tock, Rias."

She was on the verge of panicking. Two strikes. Only Yuuto, Koneko, and herself left standing. Harry was unbeatable. Sirzechs himself admitted he would have trouble with the man, so what was Rias supposed to do against him? What was even her objective? She paused.

Survive.

That was what he had said, right? She had to survive. How?

In hindsight, she had been looking at the test wrong. She was never supposed to win. She was supposed to survive. Harry was indeed meant to be an insurmountable obstacle. Initially, she had thought Koneko had passed because she had displayed incredible strength and versatility, on top of her usage of Castling. There was no telling if this was actually the case, since Harry didn't specify passing conditions, but there was another way to look at it.

Every time Harry had attacked Rias, Koneko either had swapped places with her or pulled her out of harm's way. Her passing conditions were unknown, but Harry had very clearly said that Koneko would fail if she were defeated.

Thus, if she wanted to survive, the best way to do so against an enemy she could not defeat would be to avoid confrontation in the first place. Since that wasn't an option, her next best option was to run away.

Rias' blood turned to ice.

Surely, he was not asking her to abandon her Peerage? How was she even supposed to escape? Harry had a hundred and one ways to prevent her from doing so. What were her options?

Snap.

Rias was brought out of her thoughts just in time to see both Yuuto and Koneko lose consciousness.

"Your indecision has cost them. Now you stand alone," Harry said. He walked forward until he was standing right in front of her. "What will you do?"

She couldn't think of anything.

Harry raised his right arm, his silver sword having reappeared in his hand. It pointed at the center of her chest. Suddenly, the air was filled with an invisible pressure.

"Would you let me go?" she tried.

"You are the enemy commander. I would have let your soldiers escape, but not you."

"What can I do to convince you otherwise?"

"No room for negotiation, I'm afraid." The sword's point was now at her throat.

"…You would let my Peerage live?"

"Wrong answer, Rias. And that's strike three."

The pressure vanished, along with the sword. She sighed.

"So I guess that means I fail?" Rias asked despondently. Sona and her Peerage began to make their way over.

"Not yet, you don't." Harry replied. Rias lifted her head immediately, eyes filled with hope.

"Let's try this," Harry said. He turned to Sona, and teleported her into his arms. The normally calm and composed girl let out a surprised yelp as Harry put one hand on her shoulder.

"This is Sona. She is your fellow commander. The two of you work together under someone else. Who else is unimportant."

Rias nodded. Sona just looked at Harry next to her in confusion.

Harry's sword reappeared in his hands, now held at Sona's throat instead. Rias gasped, while Sona herself only stiffened slightly, but made no move to protest. Several members of Sona's Peerage froze in their tracks, while a couple, like Saji, raced over to them and demanded to know what was going on.

"Relax," Harry said. "This is just a hypothetical." He removed the sword from its position and it vanished soon thereafter, to everyone's collective relief. "As you can see, she is my hostage." He brought the girl into a half-hug, which she did protest against, albeit weakly.

"On the bright side, I like her a lot, so am extremely unlikely to kill her. Still, she was captured trying to come to your aid. Her own soldiers are all incapacitated. This is the situation you now find yourself in."

Harry's eyes sharpened.

"Think very carefully, Rias. You are alone. Assume you can escape if you leave her, and everyone else, behind. On the other hand, I'm willing to let her and everyone else go… if you give yourself up. I'm a man of my word. Your objective is survival. Are you worthy to be a King?"

Nobody said anything as they waited for Rias to answer. They didn't have to wait long.

"I'll give myself up. I guess that means I'm not a very good King, huh?"

Harry sighed, but he was smiling. Sona was smiling as well.

"That you aren't. Unfortunately, that means I can't teach you. I guess you'll just have to ask Sirzechs for tips."

Rias' expression morphed into distaste. Harry laughed.

"Do I really?" she moaned. "Can't I just learn from Sona?"

"Sure, if you want to learn how NOT to be the kind of King you want to be."

Both Rias and Sona looked at Harry in confusion.

"For the record, I would have made the exact same choice as Rias," Sona pointed out.

"Irrelevant," Harry responded. "You won't be learning from me either. Serafall called dibs."

"I'm… mostly sure Serafall would choose the same," Sona said. "At least, she would if it were you or me who was captured.

"I'd never be captured, and Serafall would sooner make me rip the soul out of anyone who tried to capture you than trade herself away. Besides, she doesn't have a Peerage."

"Then how does she expect to teach me how to be a King?"

"Beats me. I asked her the same thing, and she froze my mouth for an hour."

Sona deadpanned at him.

"Exactly why I suspect Rias won't be getting any good advice from you that Sirzechs would be a better source for," Harry stated matter-of-factly. "However, there is something very important that I'm pretty sure the two of them want to teach you, their younger siblings, personally."

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"And what would that be?" Rias asked.

Harry's face turned grim for a split second, before he was all smiles again.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself, because they'd find a way to kill me if I told you."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _Never again._

 _Harry looked down at the gravestone for his beloved godfather, Sirius Orion Black._

 _He had failed. Failed to protect him, failed to bring him back, and now failed to honor his last wishes._

 _But, all was not yet lost. All he had to do was wait. Wait, and prepare. Harry had to get stronger, become smarter, gather more power. Then he would be able to do anything. All he had to do was wait for the next chance._

 _Never again, would he fail to save a life._

 _Never again, would he fail to take one._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry woke in a cold sweat, with Serafall clinging to him as she usually did. They were both nude, and she was partially lying on top of him. Thankfully, his actions didn't seem to have disturbed her. Learning from his mistakes the previous morning, Harry cast a sleeping spell on her to keep her from waking before he slipped out from underneath her. His footsteps carried him into the adjoining bathroom.

His reflection stared at him above the sink as he splashed some water on his face. Harry's longevity had gifted him with the power to sleep as much or as little as he wanted to and still function somewhat normally, so he was already wide awake. A side effect of this, and the many different charms he had permanently active on his mind, was that he no longer recalled his dreams very well.

He was already beginning to forget his nightmare. He couldn't even remember who he had been talking to at the end. An old man? A young girl? Himself?

Unable to shake his head to clear his thoughts, Harry instead returned to bed and watched Serafall sleep, listening to her soft breathing and admiring the things it did to her chest. It was an activity that further endeared her to him and never failed to put him to sleep, though a different part of him usually woke up if he focused too hard. Luckily, their activities last night had sated that particular urge for a while. Soon enough, he forgot that he had dreamt anything at all, and was peacefully sleeping once more in her arms. This time, his mind and thoughts were filled with nothing but darkness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Death! I have come searching for you! I challenge you to a fair duel!"

Harry and Sona stared incredulously in the direction of the shouting as the rest of her Peerage stared, also incredulously, at the chess board between the two. It was Sunday morning, and the two of them were engaged in their long-running weekly ritual of playing chess while they each did other work. Harry was coming up with various training plans for Sona's Peerage and writing them down, while Sona busied herself with paperwork.

"Someone you know, nii-san?" Sona asked.

"No, I don't recognize his voice." Taking a quick look at the board, Harry mentally commanded one of his pieces to move and smiled lightly. "Check."

Sona glanced at the board and sighed in defeat. "I concede. You have mate in seven moves."

From her position next to the portable whiteboard in the corner of the room, Tsubaki Shinra, Sona's Queen, paused in her own paperwork to add another tally to Harry's side. It was now tied three wins each. Harry had won the initial couple of rounds of speed chess the two warmed up with by moving his pieces instantly when it was his turn, causing Sona to make several mistakes while pressed for time. Every game after that had been untimed, and here Sona clearly held the advantage, though the most recent game had been an upset.

"You're getting better, So-tan. I shouldn't have to tell you how scary that is."

"Thank you. Coming from a Grandmaster like you, I will gratefully accept such a compliment."

"You could be one if you tried. Besides, I'm not an official Grandmaster. An old friend of mine just happened to like the game a lot."

"You could be one if you tried," Sona parroted back without missing a beat. Left unsaid was the fact that Harry's old friend was in all likelihood deceased and had been for a very long time. "I would actually be very interested in learning different chess styles. I noticed you use some pretty unorthodox strategies."

"Death! I know you're here somewhere! I demand a fair duel!"

The voice from outside was pointedly ignored by the two chess players while the board reset itself.

"Yeah, well. I got curious in my spare time," Harry said. "I actually learned a variant of chess known as Omega Chess. Ever heard of it?"

"No. What are the differences?"

"It's played on a ten-by-ten board, with four corner spots outside the play area, and each player has four additional pieces: two Champions, and two Wizards. The Wizards start in the corner spots."

"Wizards?"

"No relation. I didn't know the pieces were called that until after I learned about the game."

"I see. Have you perhaps brought this up with Ajuka? I've always wondered if fairy pieces could be added to the current Evil Piece System."

"I have brought up both the idea of fairy pieces and the possibility of adapting the Evil Piece System to use whatever chess variant people want."

For a moment, neither of them said anything else.

"…And?" Sona asked, her curiosity piqued.

"And he said it was impossible. Fairy pieces might be possible, but it would take some doing. There's no way to make the Evil Pieces change themselves though, so each set would need to be modified on a per-person basis."

"I see. That is unfortunate. Did you at least get him to make you a Wizard Piece?"

"I did. Rather than give me more Pieces than normal though, he just turned my King into a Wizard. It functions the same; it just looks different now," Harry replied.

"I suppose that's fitting," Sona commented.

"Quite," Harry agreed.

"DEATH! WHERE ARE YOU! I DEMAND-"

The voice suddenly cut off, along with any other sound from outside the window of the Student Council Room. Sona quirked an eyebrow.

"I suppose I had better go deal with that," Harry said, standing up and letting his cloak resettle itself on his shoulders from its folded-up state on Sona's desk.

"I suppose so. I look forward to discussing more with you later, nii-san."

"Mhm. See ya later, So-tan. The rest of you, I'll have your training schedules to you sometime probably tomorrow."

Sona's Peerage nodded in response, and Harry smiled before turning back to face Sona. Ruffling her hair playfully and receiving a playful glare coupled with a pout in response, Harry then teleported to the source of the angry shouting that couldn't be heard by anyone inside the otherwise empty school building.

"DEATH! I-"

"Yes, how may I help you?" Harry asked amiably. He sensed a familiar soul nearby, but it wasn't the boy in front of him. It was almost as if… ah, that made sense.

"GAH!" the gray-haired teenager jumped at the sudden appearance of a black-haired man dressed in professional business clothing with the exception of a shimmering cloak that wrapped around his shoulders.

"You! Who are you? Wait, are you… Death?" the teenager asked him warily.

"I am. Who are you?"

"…Albion, is he telling the truth? I can't sense anything from him," the boy asked into thin air.

"I thought I recognized that signature. So you're the host of Divine Dividing this time around, huh?"

"Huh? He is? Good! Oh, right!" the teenager seemingly said to himself, before addressing Harry. "My name is Vali Lucifer. I have heard that Death walks among men, that he is fair and impartial, and that he is a relatively agreeable person. Therefore, I have come to challenge him to a duel!"

Harry merely raised an amused eyebrow.

"Albion says you two know each other. He also tells me that you are a master of all manner of magic, the greatest Magician and last Wizard alive, though he refuses to tell me the difference. I assume it is a classification among magic-users. That you are the last of your kind suggests you were also the strongest. Thus, I must fight you to see where I stand! Please, grant me the honor of a duel!" He bowed.

After a moment of consideration, Harry decided this was a great opportunity.

"Alright, I agree."

"Really?! Fantastic!" Vali was practically bouncing in place, something that Harry could tell was very uncharacteristic of him. Why were Albion's hosts so often eccentric? Before he could get too excited, Harry continued speaking.

"…On three conditions."

"Oh. I suppose that's fair," Vali agreed surprisingly easily. "Alright, name your terms."

"First, you do not use Divide on me directly. This is for your own safety."

"Albion has already warned me of the nature of your magic. I had not intended to try in the first place. No doubt I would not be able to withstand even half of the sheer amount of magical energy you hold anyway."

"Second, I would like to speak to Albion beforehand. Call it catching up between two friends."

"Done. He has also been eager to meet you for a while. Ever since I began my training, he told me that you were my best bet at unlocking my full potential."

"I'm… flattered that he thinks so," Harry said, his amusement growing by the second.

"What is your third condition?" Vali asked, impatient to begin what would undoubtedly be his most legendary duel yet. He was practically shivering with anticipation. Now that he had expanded his senses fully, he could tell that the sense of "nothingness" he had previously felt was not a lack of power. Rather, it was a power so encompassing that he could perceive where it began and ended. For the first time, Vali failed to grasp anything about another's power at all. It was not like the power of Infinity, where the power itself was based on the concept of being endless. No, this was a power designed to end other powers. It was only ever just strong enough to kill.

"My third condition can wait until later. I promise that you will like it, but for certain reasons, I can't tell you what it is right now."

Vali spared no more than a few seconds to think, but quickly agreed.

"Agreed. So, how will you speak to Albion? Should I manifest Divine Dividing?"

"No need. Hold still."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" **Death. Or is it Master now?"**

"Reflect. I still go by Death, but you know to friends, I'm just Harry."

" **It has been a long time, Harry. And my name will do as well. Don't tell me you've forgotten."**

"Not yet, Albion." Harry's face broke out in a grin. The giant white dragon he was facing somehow also effected a similar expression. "You'll be interested to know Ddraig is still angry."

" **Of course he is, that immature brat."**

"Aren't the two of you around the same age?"

The dragon huffed irritably. Harry's cloak flared out behind him, even though the dragon's exhale didn't actually generate any wind.

" **I try to forget that every time I remember. We don't all have access to convenient memory-altering magic."**

"Yes, well. Count yourself lucky your soul can hold the amount of memories you gather."

" **Indeed. I do not envy you your mortal failings. Any of them."**

"For all my 'mortal failings', I'm still stronger than you."

" **Hmph. I am sealed. I can wield but a mere fraction of my true power as I am."**

Harry didn't respond immediately. Both of them knew Albion's seal did nothing to change the balance of power between them. It was something Harry did not challenge for the sake of the dragon's pride, and both of them knew it. Harry's cloak though, flared out proudly behind him, protesting the statement and the insinuation that anything could harm its owner when it was present.

" **As fond of theatrics as ever, I see."**

"Yes, it is," Harry said, patting the cloak fondly. "Anyway, as much as I'd love to stay and chat, your host will probably attack me while I'm here if I do."

" **Yes, that does sound like something he would do."**

"Don't worry, Albion," Harry reassured the much larger dragon. "If all goes well, your host will be sticking around. We can talk later."

" **I suppose I will have that to look forward to, then. Now, your business?"**

"How close is Vali to Juggernaut Drive?"

" **He is much closer than I would have expected someone so young to be. He has already achieved his Balance Breaker state and can safely sustain it for the duration of several days."**

"I see…" Harry's tone was contemplative.

" **I know you have nothing to fear from me as I am, so I am confused as to why you would even ask. Unless… you said Ddraig was still angry. Is he near?"**

"Very. His host is weak, but I have high hopes."

" **High hopes, you say. Hmhmhm…"** The dragon's rumbling laughter echoed throughout the empty space. **"Coming from you that may as well be a guarantee. I look forward to the day we will clash once more. I daresay my host this time may grow to become the strongest I've ever had."**

"You call Ddraig immature, but you're just as battle-crazy as he is," Harry chided. "I'll talk to you later, probably in a couple of days after your host survives the beating I'm about to give him. Don't bother holding back."

With that, the man faded from view, leaving the Vanishing Dragon alone with his thoughts.

"' **Don't hold back,' he says… Very well."** The dragon stood up and contacted his host, who he could tell was already in the middle of preparing for combat. **"Vali. I believe it is time for the next step in your training. Listen very carefully…"**

The next few minutes were spent educating his host on the many dangers of what he was about to be taught how to do, and how to do it without killing himself.

 _ **Come, Harry Potter, Master of Death. Show me a glimpse of that strength once more. Show me the strength of one who has survived the end of the world…**_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" **Balance Breaker**!"

Vali's features were hidden under a layer of pristine, white armor, a matching pair of armored white wings sprouting from his back. Across from him in the courtyard of the school, Harry simply stood there, unmoving. His cloak was floating in the air off to the side, its owner having shed it to prevent it from giving him any more of an unfair advantage than he already possessed. At the edges of the courtyard, a thin, almost invisible warding line separated it from the space around it while also casting a powerful compulsion on anyone who tried to enter and strongly discouraged them from doing so.

 _Scale Mail, huh? Albion was right, this Vali Lucifer is one-of-a-kind._

Looking deeper than the armor and the person wearing it, Harry saw the boy's soul. It was rock-solid, not fluctuating at all. That amount of control over any Sacred Gear's Balance Breaker, let alone one of the Longinus', normally took at least a decade to achieve. The boy couldn't be older than 19. Before he could think about it any further though, Vali acted.

" **Half Dimension!** "

Feeling the space around him begin to distort, Harry was quick to reach out mentally and snap the link to the divine energy. Vali didn't seem to be too surprised by this, and instead held his hand out in front of him. Several magic circles materialized in the air around the armored teen, the unique crest of Lucifer making up their centers. Harry could have disrupted them one at a time, but the rate at which they were popping up was definitely designed to counter that particular anti-magic skill of his. No doubt Albion was feeding Vali advice.

The circles began firing off one by one. Harry let the first few graze him so he could judge their power, and swiftly neutralized the rest by flooding the area with holy energy converted from raw magic from his own reserves, which had the added benefit of generating even more raw magic for the man to use. Vali did seem to start slightly at that. His momentary hesitation cost him as Harry memorized his magic circle, reconstructed it from scratch, and shot a much larger blast of unholy energy back at the boy faster than he could respond.

The shot of energy caught him in the center of his chest, blowing him backwards until he collided with the wards at the edge of the courtyard.

 **DIVIDE!**

Moments later, Vali lifted himself from the ground, the front of his armor scorched from his own magic. In the next instant, he was in front of Harry, having traveled at close to the speed of light from his previous spot. His outstretched fist was caught and used to toss him away.

" **Half Dimension!** "

Harry snapped the connection again (he hated that spatial compression technique), but was not quick enough to stop the follow-up blast of energy hidden in its wake. Taking his first hit of the fight, Harry slid backwards while his shoes glided, seemingly frictionless, across the ground. He smiled while returning fire with another concentrated blast of unholy energy.

Vali caught his return spell in his hands…

 **DIVIDE!**

…And absorbed half of it, nullifying the remainder with the half he'd just absorbed. The teen laughed triumphantly. Harry couldn't see or hear Albion, but if he could, he imagined the dragon was probably laughing in triumph as well. Switching tactics, Harry crafted an enormous spear of holy energy that at least caused the teenager to stop laughing and begin hastily crafting a counter since he could not safely absorb it.

Before he could finish properly constructing one, Vali looked up to see the spear already headed in his direction. Without hesitation, he trusted in his mentor of several years and thrust both his hands out in the universal sign for "stop."

"I command! **Reflect!** "

Unfortunately, Albion's host missed the dragon's warnings that the spear had split into two, and his incomplete control over the conceptual magic only allowed him to bounce one of them back. However, Harry had not planned on having one fully reflected back at him at all and was unprepared to deal with the raw magic shielding it.

"Oh, bugger me."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona looked up from her paperwork as she felt a slight tremor. Around her, the various members of her Peerage also looked up curiously.

"An… earthquake?" Tsubaki asked with a questioning tone.

As one, all of them turned to look outside. The courtyard was completely empty, and the street beyond it was empty as well. Everyone else gave up and returned to their tasks, but Sona alone kept staring outside. A second later, she was awarded with the sight of a flock of birds seemingly materializing out of thin air. Her eye began twitching, as it often did whenever her sister or her sister's beloved fiancé decided to do something particularly idiotic, like stage a duel in the courtyard of her school.

"Nii-san…"

The rest of her Peerage watched as their King marched out of the room. After a moment of deliberation, they followed her, wondering where she was headed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona stared at the remains of Kuoh Academy's courtyard, speechless. Her Peerage arrived shortly afterwards, and all of them were left in similar states of shock. In the center of a massive crater lay a figure covered from head to toe in white armor, though bits and pieces of it had broken off. His face was completely uncovered, revealing that the grey-haired teenager was unconscious. Nearby, Harry Potter calmly floated out of an even bigger crater that promptly repaired itself behind him.

It didn't take him long to notice he now had an audience.

"Ah, So-tan. Sorry about the mess. Don't worry, I'll have it fixed in a bit," he said cheerily.

Without a word, Sona did an about-face, and walked back the way she had come. Her Peerage followed after her like a bunch of ducklings. Harry watched them go, bemused.

Less than five minutes later, the courtyard was restored to its original glory. In fact, Harry couldn't really remember how parts of it looked earlier, so he just improvised and made everything look good as new. He wagered it was even _better_ than before. Idly, he wondered if Serafall was maybe rubbing off on him a little too much.

 _Naaah._

Dismissing the thought, Harry levitated the unconscious Vali Lucifer behind him as he made his way over to the Occult Research Club. He almost forgot he was supposed to meet with them today. Fortunately, his fight with Vali had ended just in time.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry thanked Grayfia for the cup of tea as he settled into his favorite armchair, which he had summoned from Serafall's house in Hell to the main waiting room of the Occult Research Club. Koneko was quick to take up residence in her own favorite spot, Harry's lap. After he made sure he and the petite girl were comfortable, he turned to address the two odd ones out in the room.

"So… why are the two of you still here again?"

Once again, Irina was the one who had the common decency to look sheepish, while Xenovia was completely unrepentant. They were both dressed in the Kuoh Academy uniform despite not attending the school, and Xenovia wore her Exorcist's cloak over it. Issei was the one who answered Harry's inquiry.

"Irina's actually living with me!" He proclaimed while puffing his chest out.

"Isn't Asia already living with you?"

"They're _both_ living with me!" the boy replied happily.

Issei looked extremely proud of himself. Rias sighed, while Akeno giggled. Koneko stopped her cuddling long enough to shoot her trademarked deadpan look at the Pawn, complete with flatly-delivered "Pervert" insult.

"I have spare bedrooms in my house in Kuoh, Irina," Harry offered. Issei cried out indignantly.

"It's okay, Harry-san!" After she got over her initial fear of him, Irina had warmed up to him considerably. "Issei and I are friends from waaay back! And his parents still remember me!"

"Uh huh. And you?" Harry asked, turning to the blue-haired Exorcist.

"I will remain here until I have bested Yuuto Kiba," Xenovia stated simply. She stared at Yuuto, causing him to utter the same tired sigh as Rias. He pleaded with Harry with his eyes. Harry could only send him an apologetic look of sympathy.

"Where's Gasper?"

"Sirzechs-sama came and picked him up earlier. Said there was something important he needed him for," Akeno replied.

"Really? Huh. What about Asia?" When he asked that question, Akeno gained a sour look.

"Azazel-sama came to pick her up yesterday after you left. Said pretty much the same thing as nii-sama did," Rias said. "Come to think of it, are you perhaps here to take Issei away for some mysterious reason? Or maybe Michael-sama is about to stop by?" The almost-hopeful tone of her voice made Harry laugh inwardly.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Princess, but no," Harry responded, using an old pet name Sirzechs and he had used to call her. "Why would you think that?"

He relaxed backwards into the plush armchair as he asked, resettling Koneko on his lap so that her constant snuggling didn't cause any… difficult-to-explain reactions. In more recent times, Harry felt Koneko was acting a little _more_ affectionate than usual, but he couldn't really put his finger on why.

"Well, everyone who's been taken away so far has a Sacred Gear, and the last time you took Yuuto away for a while, he came back with his Balance Breaker. That, and your guest is wearing armor that looks kind of like a white-version of Issei's incomplete Balance Breaker."

"My guest? Oh, him."

Sprawled on the carpet next to the armchair where Harry had unceremoniously dumped him was the half-armored form of Vali Lucifer, still unconscious. That's what he got for trying to use Reflect of all things before even unlocking Juggernaut Drive. Honestly, Albion probably just wanted to get back him for taunting the dragon as he left. He and Ddraig really were made for each other.

"Yes, him. The one you dropped on the floor as soon as you came in." Rias commented drily. "Who is he?"

"Eh, nobody too important. He can introduce himself when he wakes up. What is important is _your_ guest, or guests, I suppose. Knowing him, he'll be bringing his Queen, at least. Wasn't he supposed to be here like fifteen minutes ago?"

"Actually, you're forty-five minutes early," Yuuto said. Harry stared at him blankly.

"Huh. I must have remembered the time wrong. Well, since I'm already here, I suppose now is as good a time as any to start discussing your training." That got the attention of everyone else in the room. In his lap, Koneko paused momentarily from rubbing her cheek against his cloak, but quickly resumed, to the cloak's pleasure.

"Yuuto, don't hate me," Harry started.

"…Why would I hate you?"

"For the next week, you and Xenovia will be paired up. WAIT WAIT WAIT put that sword away!" Harry shouted, waving one arm frantically to ward off Holy Eraser. "There's a good reason, I promise!"

Yuuto reluctantly allowed his sword to fade back into motes of light, though he didn't sit back down and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Ahem! Yuuto and Xenovia, the two of you are both prodigious swordfighters. I have an exercise in mind that I'll discuss with Souji later that will help the two of you, and Sona's Knight, Tomoe, learn how to perform jumping."

"I am not a Devil," Xenovia pointed out.

"The legendary Paladin of Emperor Charlemagne, Roland, was famous for his immense strength. Among his many talents was his ability to adapt the techniques used by his enemies for his own fighting style," Harry lectured. "Durandal carries the sentient will of all its past owners. I'm tempted to call it a pseudo-Sacred Gear. I am confident that you will be able to harness that power eventually, but in the meantime training with the Knights should help you unlock a portion of the sword's abilities. Besides, don't you want to meet the person who trained Yuuto?"

When she processed the last question, she began nodding eagerly. Harry was reminded of a puppy.

"Good. Akeno, you will be working with Gasper and Asia on magic. Irina, you're also included. Naturally, I'll be teaching you."

Akeno's beautiful features distorted ever so slightly when she remembered the results of her "test" earlier, but nodded all the same. Learning magic from Harry was worth it.

"Issei, you and Saji will be working with Azazel once he's finished with… whatever he's doing with Asia."

Issei nodded.

"Are you sure you can't teach me anything about my King Piece?" Rias half-asked, half-pleaded.

"Yes, Rias. I make for a poor King," Harry replied with a wry smile. "Besides, like I said, Sirzechs has something in mind for you, I'm sure."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" she whispered. Everyone still heard her, but politely pretended that they didn't.

"What about me?" Koneko asked.

Harry looked down at her. "You, my cute little friend, are going to be learning from none other than Surtr and another furry friend of yours. You will train with him for two weeks, then leave for Kyoto."

"Kyoto? Our first Rating Game is in a couple of weeks," Rias pointed out.

"That it is. I have every confidence you will prevail without her," Harry replied.

Koneko was about to protest, but found Harry's finger on her lips. She gave him a flat look.

"I just remembered," Harry began. "There's this _very special_ _festival_ happening at the end of this month in Kyoto. Why, I think that it might just include a certain event."

The rest of the room, sans Grayfia, had no idea what Harry was talking about, but Koneko's eyes widened in understanding.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"I've been reassured several times, yes."

Koneko frowned thoughtfully, but soon turned to Rias.

"…Sorry, buchou. Need to go."

Rias could only stare in confusion, but her weakness for cute things and her love for Koneko eventually convinced her to give in.

"Will she be back in time for the other Games?" Rias asked.

"Oh, absolutely. Her training in Kyoto should only take a few days at most," Harry answered. "You could say she's merely being taught how to remember what she's forgotten how to feel."

"That's…!"

Whatever Rias was about to say was interrupted by Grayfia politely coughing.

"Ojou-sama, your guests are requesting permission to enter."

Rias shot Harry a look to say she wasn't finished, but quickly composed herself.

"Let them in," she stated. The rest of her Peerage straightened their postures slightly, though Koneko decided she didn't like sitting up straight since it kept her from snuggling Harry and returned to doing just that.

A large red teleportation circle expanded in a corner of the room that had been emptied for the express purpose of inbound teleportation. As the light died, a tall blond man walked out, accompanied by a purple-haired woman hanging off his arm on one side and a much shorter girl with blonde hair on the other. His cocky smirk was replaced with a sour look once he caught sight of Harry. The woman on his arm froze briefly before giving a small bow of respect, while the girl's pouting expression brightened considerably.

"Harry!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The man first turned to address his hosts.

"Greetings, Rias. Er, Ms. Gremory," the young man corrected himself. "Greetings to you as well, Ms. Lucifuge."

"Hello, Phenex-san." "Welcome, Mr. Phenex."

He then turned to face Harry, at which point his sour look was replaced with a genial smile that anyone could tell was forced.

"Mr. Potter. Harry. It is good to see you again."

"Well, hello there, Mr. Phenex. It's been a while," Harry responded easily, his own smile much more natural. "Hello to you too, Miss Ravel."

The blonde girl squeaked slightly and blushed.

"To the rest of you, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Riser Phenex," the man introduced himself, "This is my Queen, Yubelluna." The purple-haired woman curtsied gracefully. Yuuto elbowed Issei to keep him from ogling her exposed cleavage.

"Please, all of you. Call me Yule. I insist," the woman said.

"And this is my younger sister and Bishop, Ravel."

"Nice to meet you, everyone." Another graceful curtsy, although she kept looking at Koneko in Harry's lap with disapproval. Issei noticed this and wondered why it was that Harry seemed to attract so much attention from younger girls and whether he could somehow copy him.

"Riser-san, it is good to see you again," Rias said. "Yule-san, Ravel-chan, it is nice to meet both of you as well. Allow me to introduce my own Peerage."

Going around the room, Rias introduced Akeno, her Queen, Yuuto, her Knight, Koneko, her Rook, and Issei, her Pawn. Riser evaluated each of them as they were introduced, and frowned slightly when he looked at Issei, something that the teen took offense to.

"Hey, you got a problem with me, man? Say it!"

"Issei! I'm sorry, Riser-san. My Pawn-"

"There's no need, Rias…san. I can tell he is newly reincarnated. He has likely never been taught how to act in Devil high society, so he can hardly be blamed." Riser's tone of voice was only slightly condescending. Yuuto put his hand over Issei's mouth to muffle the other boy's protests.

"Anyway," Rias said, continuing her introductions. "This is Grayfia Lucifuge, who you are clearly familiar with."

The silver-haired maid bowed slightly, which Riser returned.

"And this is Harry Potter," Rias finished.

"Indeed. We have… met."

Neither he nor Harry had anything else to say.

"May I enquire as to the purpose of your visit? Our Rating Game isn't for another few weeks," Rias asked politely.

"Yes, about that. It has been decided by both our parents that our match is to be moved forward. We will now fight in the first round instead of the second."

"Oh? And what about Astaroth-san?"

"You will fight him when you were originally scheduled to fight me. Due to personal reasons, I will not be available in three weeks," Riser said.

"I see. Thank you for informing me, but I do not see why this would have warranted a personal visit."

"Yes, well. I suspect Ms. Lucifuge is here to help with the main topic of today's meeting."

Harry straightened from his relaxed posture. Koneko was slightly annoyed by this, but was soon placated with the power of head pats.

"Grayfia-san?" Rias asked curiously.

"Ojou-sama, I am here to inform you of a marriage contract penned about five years ago between the heads of the Phenex and Gremory families at the time."

There was dead silence. Then two different voices, male and female, shouted in surprise.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our Update Schedule is posted on my profile.

It has been pointed out to us that there is a certain person who would fit right in with Harry's current planned Peerage. As a result, Harry will now have three total Peerage members. Or, he would, if we hadn't forgotten some plans we made when my partner first came up with this story idea weeks ago. Thus, Harry may have four or more if we can work out the Piece distribution to be believable. Right now, his planned Peerage is: 1) someone who technically belongs to him, 2) someone who can neutralize the lethal nature of his magic, 3) someone who is already bonded with him, and possibly 4) someone who is unable to bond with anyone else. All planned Peerage members are female, not that there are that many males to choose from in the DxD universe. Vali is in consideration, but we have no idea how to make it work.

Observant readers may note that condition 2 should apply to everyone on his Peerage. This is not true, and will be fully explained when he gets his first Peerage member.

More flashbacks next chapter, but they're fairly short.

In the next update, Harry teaches magic, Rias learns the stakes, and everyone ignores Vali.


	12. RG3of7 Ch9 - Resolve

**Chapter 9 – Resolve**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Three of Seven)**

* * *

Rias and Issei both looked at each other before Issei broke eye contact with a blush. Next to him, Irina looked at Rias suspiciously before dismissing whatever thoughts were going through her head.

"Explain," Rias demanded, her voice calm despite her initial reaction. "I thought that contract was dissolved by Sirzechs. In fact, I remember him getting even more furious when another contract was arranged between the youngest of our families."

"Yes, as I remember, he threatened to find whoever was responsible and have them publicly executed," Riser commented drily. "As it turns out, he actually found them. The poor bastards on the Devil High Council had to be evacuated from their homes before they were vaporized."

"Good times," Harry said with a nostalgic smile. The rest of the room stared at him incredulously.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I might have helped him just slightly. How was I supposed to know what he wanted that particular tracking spell for? He was drunk. Sirzechs does a lot of random things when he's drunk."

"Regrettably, Potter-sama is correct," Grayfia admitted. "Still, the contract nevertheless exists. It was signed by both Lords Gremory-sama and Phenex-sama, but in reality it was forced upon them by the Devil High Council. More specifically, it was pushed as part of the Pureblood agenda. Lucifer-sama was unable to annul it without making it look like blatant favoritism. Instead, he voided the later contract using the reasoning that it was unnecessary for both to exist, and gave the two of you, Phenex-sama, ojou-sama, a way out."

"Which brings me to the reason why I'm here," Riser said. "You have only grown more beautiful since the last time we have met, my dear Rias, but I am happily engaged." Next to him, his Queen Yubelluna blushed as he wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "What are our options?"

"Yes, Grayfia, what are our options?" Rias repeated, staring at her brother's Queen with her arms crossed.

"The contract was arranged by the Pureblood contingent of the High Council in hopes of perpetuating the existence of Pureblood Devils. Thus, if the two of you conceive-"

"I refuse," came the simultaneous reply from both Riser and Rias. They shared a brief look and nod.

"…As expected," Grayfia continued easily. "Alternatively, you can contest the decision in the traditional Pureblood Devil way. That being, deciding via Rating Game."

"Against who?" Rias wondered.

"Since the two of you are the subjects of the contract, you would fight together against its creators, the Pureblood Devils on the Council."

"They expect us to win against the older Devils and their Peerages? That's tantamount to suicide," Riser said with his eyes narrowed.

"Indeed, Lucifer-sama was quick to point this out as well," Grayfia answered readily. "Therefore, he proposed a fair alternative that the other Satans supported to force it through legislation. Instead of fighting the elder Devils, you would fight two representatives part of your generation, decided by the contract's creators."

At that, everyone else in the room relaxed a little, but Harry remained sitting upright.

"And? Who did they pick?" he asked. Grayfia turned to face him with a slightly-pained look.

"Diodora Astaroth, son of the Satan Beelzebub, and Sona Sitri, sister of the Satan Leviathan." Harry closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable outburst.

"What?!" Rias exclaimed. "Sona would never agree to that!"

"She has no choice, does she Grayfia?" Harry asked grimly. "If she refuses, or if she fails, she and Diodora are married instead." This got a gasp from many of the others. "Or at least, the two of them would be subject to the same terms. That was their contingency plan."

"What about Leviathan-sama?! How could she let something like this happen to her beloved So-tan?" Issei cried out. He was magically whacked upside the head a moment later.

"Only Sera and I can call her that," Harry said calmly. His teasing smile quickly changed back into the grim expression he had worn ever since Grayfia had revealed the plot by the Purebloods. "Trust me, Sera was distraught. I had to personally stop her from actually tracking down the Council members and killing them. But, she's blocked for the same reason as Sirzechs. If she annuls the contract, she loses her position. Then, the Purebloods still get what they want by bullying the remaining Satans into marrying her off. I can tell you that would not go over well, for _many_ reasons." His sentence was punctuated with a very brief flare of power that nonetheless scared the rest of the room into silence and caused Koneko to tighten her grip around him as much as she could.

It took everyone a few seconds to recover.

"So, that's it then? Rias and I fight against Astaroth and Sitri?" Riser asked after regaining his composure.

"To be more accurate, after your match with each other, Rias-ojousama would fight against Astaroth-sama, while you, Phenex-sama, would fight Sitri-sama," Grayfia replied.

"What happens if one of us wins and the other loses?" Rias asked.

"The winners face each other in a Rating Game."

"Then my path is clear," Riser declared. "Ms. Gremory, consider this my official notice of forfeit. I concede our coming match to you and wish you all the luck in your next one. I must prepare for the match afterwards, and cannot afford to have any of my Peerage possibly injured or tired from an earlier Game." He turned and made to leave, but was stopped by Rias' voice.

"Wait! Does Sona know?" she asked Grayfia.

"She is likely being told by an agent sent by Astaroth-sama's family or the Devil High Council as we speak."

Harry's eyes widened when he heard that.

 _If they do anything to her while I'm not there, I swear…_

"Riser, I…"

"I cannot speak for anyone but myself, Rias," Riser spoke quietly, but confidently. "I used to take everything I had for granted. Then, I was reminded of my good fortune by… a family friend." He shot a subtle glance in Harry's direction as he said this. "I have no intention of giving anything up any more. I will give my all to escape the terms of the contract. I suggest you do the same."

Once again, Riser made to leave, the teleportation circle lighting up underneath him, but before he disappeared, he turned to face one more person while still seemingly talking to Rias. Issei met his stare without flinching.

"You have someone waiting for you as well. Again, I speak for nobody but myself, and thus I will not remark on personal taste…" Issei bristled, but didn't say anything in response. "But, I am of the opinion that anyone can achieve greatness, with the proper motivation. Don't give up." His last words were heard loud and clear by their intended recipient. Seconds later, he and his Queen were gone. It was then that everyone noticed the third member of his party was nowhere to be seen.

A quiet squeal of happiness alerted everyone to the blonde's presence at Harry's side. The youngest member of the Phenex household was cooing happily as she petted Koneko, who was blissed out in Harry's lap with both Harry and the other girl's hands gently scratching different places on her head. When she realized she had the attention of the rest of the room, Ravel let out another little squeak.

"Ahem. I guess I'll be going too then. Excuse me." She curtsied politely and, with a show of great effort, removed herself from Koneko's side. A quiet groan sounded from the floor as she stepped off the makeshift platform she had used to gain enough height to pet the catlike girl. "G'bye, Harry! Bye, Koneko!" Without further ado, she stepped into the same corner her brother had vanished from and followed him.

Once she was gone, Rias returned to questioning her brother's Queen.

"Is there really no other way than to make Sona go through the same thing?" she asked. Then, a thought occurred to her and she whirled to face Harry. "Wait, did you know about this?"

"I had some idea," Harry admitted. "At first, all I knew about it was from a couple of drunken rants from Sirzechs and what I managed to get out of Serafall when she came crying to me one day. I was able to put the rest together after I asked Ajuka a few things about Devil culture and did some research on my own. It's a right nasty piece of work."

"Then, can't you do something about it?"

"I'm not a Devil. I'm an honorary Lord, but my word has no real sway when it comes to legislation. Even if it did, I'm only one person, and I'm definitely below the Four Great Satans. No, there's nothing I can really do from within the system."

"…From within the system? What about outside of it?" Rias asked hopefully.

"I could always incapacitate people until I got what I wanted one way or another, but no doubt the Pureblood Devils would just force the contract to activate eventually. If I took any of you into my Peerage, I could annul the contract by my right as your King, but since all of you are Purebloods and I'm not even part-Devil that would cause an entirely different problem. One thing my Lord status does let me do is challenge others to Rating Games as part of Devil high society, but that wouldn't accomplish much in this instance."

"Why not?"

"The contract is hereditary. Not in terms of family, but in terms of people eligible to fulfill it. If not you and Riser, then Diodora and Sona. If not them, then some other pair of Purebloods. Heck, the Purebloods might just pick you or Sona with different husbands to spite me. Since I'm not a member of either of your families, any challenge I make won't exempt either of you from selection completely, only void that particular pairing. I _could_ challenge it and ask for either of your hands in marriage, but…"

"…But?" Issei asked curiously.

"I'm with Serafall right now, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate that."

"Oh, right." Issei blushed when the others shot him looks that questioned his intelligence.

"Then, I have no other choice? Riser's not that bad a guy. I mean, he used to be unbearable, but-"

"Ojou-sama, I must ask that you cease that line of thinking. Lucifer-sama and I agree that the contract is ridiculous and you should not be required to lose your freedom to Pureblood politics."

"But I'm not losing my freedom, am I? All I have to do is… bear a child."

"NO!" Issei's shout drew the attention of the room. Harry hid a smile. "That's not right! This whole situation is messed up! What kind of government forces its citizens to do stuff like this?"

"The Pureblood traditions are an important part of Devil culture-" Grayfia began.

"To Hell with the traditions! Er, I guess to Heaven? Fuck it, SCREW THEM!" Harry chuckled at the boy's antics, while a couple others cracked smiles.

"I won't let this happen!" Issei proclaimed. "I don't care if I have to beat up every Pureblood Devil on the Council! I won't let them do this to you, Buchou!"

"Issei…"

"What about Sona?" Yuuto asked. His question brought Issei up short, but the boy recovered quickly.

"I'm sure the Principal has a plan! Right?"

All eyes turned to look at Harry, who wore a blank expression.

"I told you, my hands are tied with regards to the two of them. Rias and Sona are basically outside my control, my… jurisdiction, you could say." Faces fell. "But, I agree with Issei, Rias."

"You do?" the girl asked, confused.

"His heart is in the right place. And he makes a good point. Sirzechs and Grayfia are right when they call the contract ridiculous. This is a thinly-veiled attempt by the Purebloods to get back at the Four Great Satans for taking control of all of the Devils from them. Petty, but effective. You shouldn't give in to it."

"But Sona-"

"Is a smart girl," Harry interrupted. "She'll figure something out. For now, remember that the point of these Rating Games was to prepare you for the future. Train yourself and do your best. It'll all work out in the end somehow."

"How can you say that with such confidence?" Rias asked. She was torn.

"Do you think everyone involved will take this lying down? Do you think the Four Great Satans, especially Sirzechs and Serafall, will stand for this? They've had the past several years to prepare something. Trust in their abilities."

"I thought you said their hands were tied."

"Don't worry too much about it, Rias. Yes, it's true they can't act without a good reason or else risk losing their positions. That just means they need a good, believable reason. Failing that, do you really think they value being a Satan over their own families?"

"I don't… They shouldn't have to…"

"Shh." Harry's soft shushing somehow silenced the room. "Do your best, Rias. I promise. Everything will turn out just fine. Trust me. When have I ever broken a promise?"

Rias was silent for a long time.

"…Never," she finally said. Her face hardened into a mask of resolve. That resolve was mirrored by the rest of her Peerage. Grayfia had a soft smile on her features.

"Exactly. Go talk to Sirzechs and ask him for training. He's probably worried sick by now. Yuuto, Xenovia, go with her. Tomoe will likely meet you there, and I've already sent some notes to Souji." Yuuto and Xenovia nodded, walking with Rias over to the teleportation corner where Grayfia was already waiting.

Harry turned to the occupant of his lap. Said occupant frowned as she looked up at him with the classic puppy dog eyes, ironically made all the more deadly with her Nekoshou features on display. Her cute, pleading "Please don't make me move, nyaa" almost made Harry capitulate on instinct. Thankfully, his mental fortitude held out, just barely.

"Sorry, Koneko, but you have somewhere to be."

"…Fine. Goodbye… Harry." Koneko reluctantly got up from her beloved spot and joined Rias in the corner. On her way over, she stepped on a mysteriously hard object that emitted a grunt of pain, though everyone present ignored it.

"I'll hold you to your word, Harry-jiisan!" Rias shouted as she disappeared. Grayfia nodded gratefully and curtsied as she vanished. Yuuto nodded to him as well. Xenovia didn't even look at anyone else, too eager to meet with another master swordsman. Koneko never broke eye contact with Harry until she too vanished into the light of the teleportation circle. Harry turned to look at Issei.

"I'll leave her in your capable hands for now, Issei. Don't let me down."

Issei's eyes widened before his expression of resolve seemed to harden further. "HAI! I swear I'll prove myself worthy!" he shouted in response. Akeno and Irina giggled at him.

"Good attitude. Azazel will be coming by later in the week to pick you up, so until then, I recommend some basic strength and stamina training exercises. Ask Ddraig. The rest of you, with me." Harry got up and mentally teleported his armchair back to its original spot in Serafall's living room. He was stopped by the Pawn standing at attention in the doorway.

"Actually, Potter-san!"

"You can call me Harry, Issei."

"Harry-san! I have a favor to ask!"

"Yes?" he asked curiously.

"Please, teach me magic as well!" Issei requested with his head bowed.

"Sure, you're welcome to sit in on my lessons. But I'm warning you that magic will never be your strong suit. You simply don't have the energy for it without help from your Sacred Gear."

"But, you can still teach me how to resist and counter it, right?"

Harry smiled in approval. "That I can. Keep it up, Issei. You could always surprise me."

"Hai!"

With that out of the way, he moved forward, Issei stepping out of the way for him.

"Where are we headed, Harry-san?" Irina asked.

"The forest outside. There's more space, and this is a good opportunity to get you all familiar with some wards too."

On their way out, everyone but Harry got the strangest feeling they were forgetting someone.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, Harry-san, how exactly will you be teaching us?" Akeno asked.

"It won't be anything like your test, don't worry," was the reply. "I'll give you pointers as we go, but to get started with, we'll explore what happened yesterday." Once they were all in a clearing Harry was satisfied with, he indicated that they should sit down. Like a bunch of obedient schoolchildren, they sat in a semicircle facing him. Irina frowned thoughtfully as she noticed something weird around her magic teacher, but soon dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.

"Alright, I'd prefer to do this with Gasper and Asia around, but I can always explain this again since it's not that complicated. First question: what do you need to cast magic?"

Irina raised her hand, but Akeno didn't bother. "Focus and magical energy or power." The reincarnated Angel pouted.

"Correct. Akeno, you were one of the combatants. What did it feel like?"

"Like the spell started, but there was no energy to power it," the Fallen-Devil hybrid replied with a sour look.

"Good. Keep that in mind and listen carefully. You can counter magic in one of three ways. Four, really, but hardly anyone uses the fourth way. You can disrupt your opponent's focus, disrupt your opponent's energy, cast your own magic, or take control of theirs," Harry summarized. "If you can't do one of those things, your only option is to brace yourself or get out of the way."

His three-person audience nodded to show they were following along.

"Disrupting their focus is the most dependent on their skill rather than yours. A truly skilled magic user is trained to cast under stressful conditions, such as being attacked or while moving around. Disrupting their energy relies on you having the ability to manipulate energy that way, but is by far the most effective. Unfortunately, it's not something that can be taught. Most of the time, if physically attacking them doesn't work you will be relying on your own magic. Dispel magic exists, but it is much too advanced for me to teach in the span of a couple of weeks. Taking control of someone else's magic is a contest of wills, and most people aren't trained to exert theirs that way. Suffice to say, I will not be teaching that either."

Harry finished his impromptu lecture by gesturing for his students to stand. Once they were all standing, he conjured a fireball and lightly tossed it to Akeno, who caught it with some surprise since she expected it to explode once it made contact with her hands. Further examination showed it was surrounded by a thin layer of energy she identified as divine energy. Irina also inspected it and even poked it a few times.

"Toss it between the two of you," he told them, indicating Akeno and Irina, "and change the type of energy inside each time. You can alternate energy types if you want. Issei, your job is to interrupt them without touching either of them. If you do it three times, you win."

"…I must admit, I fail to see the value in this," Akeno said.

"I kind of expected you to actually teach us magic. Like spells or something," Irina added.

"That'll come later. This is practice for maintaining your focus and regulating your energy. When Gasper and Asia get here, we can move on to more complicated things," Harry replied. "Trust me, you'll need it. Now, if you get too close to each other, the ball implodes. You can start whenever you feel like it."

"What do I get if I win?" Issei asked.

"A very special prize. I promise you'll like it," Harry replied mysteriously.

"I could do this all day," Akeno complained. To demonstrate, the fireball morphed into a ball of lightning and was tossed in a lazy arc over Issei's head at Irina, who caught it easily.

"Uhh… right," Irina said uncertainly. The next second, it became a ball of pure light and was tossed back. However, Issei was ready this time and spiked it out of the air with a triumphant cry. The ball imploded the moment the boy's bare hand touched it, and a new one appeared at Akeno's feet. Harry cocked one eyebrow at the girls. Irina blushed, while Akeno clicked her tongue irritably.

"My bad," Irina mumbled. "But I think Akeno-san is right. This isn't really difficult."

Harry smirked. His cloak rippled with silent laughter.

"If it's that easy, you'll have no problem playing Keep Away from Issei for ten minutes straight. The ball will grow bigger, faster the longer you hold it. If you succeed, we'll start combat training early. Otherwise, you get to wait until at least Asia gets back and do basic training exercises in the meantime."

"Ara, only ten minutes? I feel bad for Issei," Akeno taunted. Irina looked much less sure of herself.

"Uh huh. Well, what are you waiting for? Issei's already got one win under his belt." Harry plopped himself down on the ground, tossing the ball to Akeno. He then teleported the contents of his office into the clearing and sat down at his desk, busying himself with paperwork and training plans for Sona's Peerage.

The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes, but didn't hesitate to pick the ball up. It began expanding slowly. With a thought, the inside became lightning once more. She then spread her Devil wings and took to the skies. Irina caught on quickly and her own pure white wings burst forth from her back. She shot Issei an apologetic look before she too was airborne. Somehow, the displacement of air didn't do anything to the papers on Harry's desk, though the stone flashed in annoyance.

"You can fly all you want, but if the ball leaves my sight, it still implodes!" Harry shouted in warning.

Akeno heard him, but didn't particularly care. She knew that Issei was still getting the hang of flying properly, while she was plenty skilled thanks to her preferred fighting style of aerial bombardment. Idly, she noted her fellow Peerage member slowly rising until he was in between her and Irina. She turned sharply and flew to the side, tossing the ball before Issei could properly catch up.

With a grunt of frustration, Issei watched as the ball sailed past him, out of reach. Irina caught it easily. She looked like she was also familiar with flying. Just his luck. The ball turned to light and was tossed back before he could put himself in its path. This pattern continued for a couple of minutes as the ball slowly grew in size, but Issei was still too slow to catch up to the two more competent fliers.

"Remember, Issei. You aren't allowed to _touch_ either of them!" came Harry's voice from below.

"How is that supposed to help me?" he shouted back petulantly. The ball was very slowly getting big enough that he might be able to touch it if he lunged, but he wasn't sure of his ability to right himself properly if he made sudden movements in midair.

"Ask Ddraig!"

Issei wasted no time in doing so.

 _Ddraig! Hey, Ddraig! DDRAIG!_

 _ **I heard you the first time, brat. You wanted to be taught magic, right? Well, why don't you try using some?**_

 _I only have the Dragon Shot! And what am I supposed to do, break the ball?_

 _ **Then use what you've got. And you don't have to break the ball, idiot. Just make them drop it.**_

 _HOW?!_

 _ **Figure it out yourself!**_

Issei had the distinct feeling the dragon had put some sort of mental block in place and was ignoring him.

 _Alright, fine._

"Hasn't it been ten minutes yet, Harry-kun?" Akeno asked. She was getting tired of this pointless exercise. Maintaining the ball and changing the energy was a novel way to train focus and energy channeling, but it wasn't very difficult in practice, even if she was flying. Across from her, she could tell Irina felt bad watching her childhood friend flail around uselessly trying to catch the ball.

Harry's response was to project the remaining time in the air. A little over two minutes left. Below the timer, three boxes also appeared. One of them had an X in it. Akeno sighed and tossed the ball back. Then, she noticed Issei had manifested his Boosted Gear gauntlet and was taking aim at the casually-tossed ball. Her eyes widened.

"Irina, dive for it! I'll back away!" she called out in alarm.

"Huh?" her partner responded, not really paying attention.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

A large red laser of energy lanced outwards from Issei's Sacred Gear, hitting the ball dead center and launching it far, far away. Irina could only watch as it sailed into the distance. A few seconds later, a new ball, now the original size, appeared in midair floating next to Akeno's head. With a sense of defeat, both girls looked at the timer below the three of them and found that it had reset to ten minutes. Another one of the boxes was also filled. Just like last time, Issei crowed in triumph.

"Ara ara, Issei-kun." The boy's victory celebration was stopped short as he felt a shiver down his spine. Slowly, he turned to face his upperclassman. She wore a scary smile.

"The rules never said we couldn't use magic on you either, did they?" she asked innocently.

Issei barely opened his mouth to plead with her before he yelped in surprise as a lightning bolt arced through the air where he had been mere moments ago.

"Now, now, stay still for me my dear kouhai. This will only hurt for a moment…"

Harry and Irina both watched, one with amusement and the other with worry, as Akeno began a demented game of cat and mouse, chasing the Pawn around and flinging lightning bolts every so often. Eventually, Harry decided enough was enough.

"Alright, Akeno. No more lightning for you." The girl in question immediately found herself unable to conjure another lightning bolt. She glared at the man impotently as he gestured back towards the ball which was still floating where she had left it. "Neither of you are allowed to use magic on Issei. Feel free to do stuff to the ball though. It's pretty malleable."

Akeno reluctantly made her way back to the ball and examined it carefully. Issei cautiously positioned himself below the two girls. His vantage point allowed him to see up their skirts, but he quickly shook his head and raised his arm to take aim… while still sneaking peeks whenever he could. The girls above him didn't seem to notice, too busy discussing something in hushed whispers. After a couple of minutes of planning, Irina flew a fair distance away, but made sure to stay in view of the clearing, while Akeno flew over to the floating ball and picked it up, the energy inside crackling with lightning almost instantly.

Issei concentrated and waited patiently for the ball to leave her hands. He watched as the Queen cocked her arm back slowly. He watched the ball in her right hand become surrounded by a layer of… wind? Then, as Akeno threw it, he nearly lost sight of the ball as it flew faster than it had ever been thrown before at Irina, who still caught it easily. His jaw dropped.

"Hehehe… It won't be that easy, Issei-kun." Akeno would never admit it, but this was actually turning out to be just a little fun. Teasing the boy put her in a good mood, and she knew he was sneaking peeks below their skirts.

Issei snapped out of it just in time to watch the ball travel back towards Akeno, marginally slower than the girl had thrown it, but still too fast for him to tag with his Dragon Shot.

 _Well, if I can't hit the ball…_

Redirecting his aim, Issei fired.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

Akeno had all of a split second to react to the laser of energy bearing down on her. Thankfully, her flying ability let her avoid the shot, but it had made her mess up the throw. The ball was going to fall short of its intended receiver. This time, however, Irina had been paying attention. She dove for it, idly noting that Issei had done the same, except he was flying up towards it from below. Calling on her light swords, Irina made one of them bat the ball out of the boy's reach and into her arms. She nervously looked down, half-expecting Harry to tell her that was against the rules, but the man just continued scribbling something down on a sheet of paper.

Then, she realized the timer was still counting down, and the ball in her hands had begun expanding more and more rapidly. With a slight tinge of panic, she threw it towards Akeno, since Issei was still below the two of them. The structure of the ball wavered slightly as if it was a mirage, but it held together.

The brown-haired teenager was quick to redirect his aim at the relatively slow-moving projectile, tracking it until it neared Akeno.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

Unfortunately for him, Akeno was fast enough to snag it and dodge the laser of energy. He cursed under his breath and looked below him. The timer still read just under eight minutes. He would figure something out. He couldn't just keep firing off Dragon Shots. A thought occurred to him. How come he wasn't tired yet?

Issei looked down at himself in confusion. Three Dragon Shots should have taken a lot out of him.

 _ **You're getting help from the thing below you.**_

The boy started.

 _Ddraig?_

He got no response. The thing below him? Harry was helping him? Silently, he thanked his principal and refocused on the two girls above him who had been passing the ball between them while he was distracted. Taking aim at the now fairly large ball of light, he fired another Dragon Shot, but missed. Akeno caught it and was quick to reposition herself, tossing it at Irina as soon as the energy inside shifted to lightning.

The reincarnated Angel caught it, and folded her wings together, going into free fall to avoid the laser from her childhood friend. Honestly, how many of those things could he fire?! Eager to not be the target of his doom lasers, she cocked her arm back and threw the ball back. She glanced at the timer. It had just hit seven minutes.

The three teenagers fell into a pattern for a few minutes, Issei shooting at the ball or whoever was holding it, and said person dodging his shot while making sure the ball didn't destabilize. With less than sixty seconds left, Irina made a mistake. She tossed the ball back without changing its contents into holy energy. Issei didn't notice, so he was extremely confused when the ball disappeared and reappeared in Irina's hands, who sighed with relief that she had not cost Akeno and herself the game. Her relief was short-lived however, as her partner's shouted warning was a moment too late.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

Irina saw the beam of energy right before it slammed into the ball she was holding, blasting it out of her grip. Below her, she heard a familiar triumphant cry. Her eyes tracked the ball as it flew at an angle, mostly upwards. Without hesitation, she dove to catch it, hoping it wouldn't travel beyond Harry's field of vision. Behind her, she heard her partner call out "Just hold on to it!"

Irina risked a momentary glance at the timer. Seventeen seconds. All she had to do was save it. She saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye, and veered off-course on instinct. The Dragon Shot sailed past her, missing the ball. She saw Akeno position herself between Issei and her. Good. She accelerated to top speed.

The ball was still traveling farther and farther away, but she was gaining on it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry watched as Irina approached the ball of magical energy. The girl's fingers were outstretched, and he was reminded of his own time as a Seeker centuries and centuries ago. Issei was trying unsuccessfully to get around Akeno without touching her. Finally, he leveled his gauntlet at her. Harry reached out mentally and snapped the link he was using to supply the boy with energy. Immediately, he began dropping out of the sky. Akeno noticed this and dove, catching him before he fell too far. There were barely five seconds left. He looked back at Irina. A wry smile was on his lips as he watched her figure completely overlap with that of the ball.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She was so close. How Harry was able to see her despite the massive vertical distance separating them was anyone's guess. But it didn't matter. All she had to do was…

Before her eyes, the ball imploded. What?

Irina slowed to a stop as she looked around in confusion. Then, she looked back at Harry and Akeno, on the ground. For some reason, Issei was being carried by her partner. She couldn't quite tell from this distance, but Akeno looked distinctly angry. With a forlorn expression on her face at having failed, she floated back down. When she neared the others, she caught the tail end of their conversation.

"…training for you."

"That's dirty, Harry-kun."

"Rules are rules."

"What's the matter?" Irina asked. She looked at the unconscious form of Issei lying on the ground. "Did Issei exhaust himself again? Did we win?"

"Yes, he did," Harry replied while Akeno stomped off. "And no, you did not win. The ball imploded because I could no longer see it."

"Oh… does that mean we're stuck with the basics until Asia-san gets here?"

"I'm afraid so, Irina."

Irina sighed with relief. "To be honest, I kinda wanted to start with the basics. I mean, I'm pretty new to magic, y'know? I've been swinging a sword ever since I started training to be an Exorcist."

"I figured you would appreciate practice before we dove off the deep end. Go ahead and get started. Akeno can help. I'll be over as soon as I get Issei situated in the infirmary."

"I will. Thanks, Harry-kun!"

With that, the energetic girl bounded off in the direction Akeno had gone. Harry smiled at her cheerful attitude and looked at Issei.

"Now is as good a time as ever, I suppose."

He levitated the boy after him as he made his way towards the Occult Research Club's building and its sole occupant, no doubt still unconscious.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" _Nii-san, why was Sera-neesan crying?"_

Sona stared at her sister, Serafall. The two of them were sitting in her mansion in Hell, Sona having just arrived after a very unpleasant meeting with a greasy-haired Pureblood Devil sent by the High Council. Neither of them said a word. Their expressions were both grave. In between them was a handwritten note from Diodora Astaroth, Sona's first opponent in the Rating Games starting in two weeks. It stated his intention to forfeit.

"Leviathan-sama. Onee-sama. There must be another way."

"If there is, nobody's found it." Sona suppressed an involuntary shudder upon hearing her older sister speak. Her usual cheerfulness was gone. In its place was the bearing of the Satan Leviathan of the Four Great Satans of Hell. This was the Serafall Sitri from the Civil War, the same Serafall Sitri of the Anti-Satan Faction who slaughtered thousands upon thousands in the plains of the Underworld. This was the Serafall of old, before she knew she would have a little sister for which she fought, before she became Magical Girl Levia-tan and brought joy to the hearts of millions, before she even knew what a magical girl was. This Serafall was deadly, cold, and utterly ruthless.

"I've escaped a marriage contract before," Sona reasoned. "I can do it again. The terms of my old contract should still be in effect."

"This contract was made before that one." Left unsaid was the fact that this meant it would take priority.

"I've read it. There's a grace period. I have a chance to win my freedom as well," Sona tried. Her odds were not excellent, as she would likely be pit against much more experienced Devils, but it couldn't be much worse than Riser, who was already a Rating Game veteran.

"Diodora Astaroth has stated his intentions to marry you," Serafall replied, her voice now colder than ice.

Sona's expression became more severe. Both parties needed to object to escape the contract. It wouldn't matter if she won or lost if her intended fiancé threw his match or refused to fight altogether.

"Perhaps Astaroth-san can be convinced otherwise?" she suggested after a pause.

" _Don't worry about it, So-tan. Sera-chan is just having a bad day."_

"Diodora Astaroth is a despicable person." Sona was shocked at the amount of venom in her sister's voice. "His Peerage is comprised of holy women he has personally broken to his will. He intends to use this as an opportunity to strike back at his father for disinheriting him and the Satan Beelzebub for refusing to help him. He is childish, he is evil, and he is a coward. He is not worth the air that he breathes." Serafall paused briefly. "He is also interested in Asia, the former nun of Rias Gremory's Peerage."

"What?"

"He intends to ask Rias for a trade. Failing that, he will attempt to win her hand in marriage so as to gain access to her Peerage. He has already approached the High Council, including the Four Great Satans, and asked to have the current contract changed, stating his willingness to contribute to the Pureblood cause."

"Please don't tell me…"

"The request was withdrawn," Serafall said. Her expression lightened ever so slightly, but she remained incomparable to her usual self. "If a willing participant takes the place of an unwilling one, the remaining party only has to defeat the new signatory to void it. He did not want to take the chance."

At least there was that. But, it did nothing to help her situation.

"So… I have no other choice?" Sona asked quietly, unknowingly repeating her rival's words from earlier that day.

"You do."

Sona looked her sister in the eyes.

"I will not condemn Rias to that fate."

"Riser is a much better person than Diodora. He will likely divorce her or refuse to marry on principle, only fathering a child."

"How could you even suggest such a thing!"

Sona had stood from her chair, her sudden action causing it to fall over backwards.

" _Can I do anything to help?"_

She felt so powerless.

Serafall stared back at her solemnly, but offered no words. Angrily, Sona left the room. She didn't notice where her feet were taking her until she arrived. The room she was standing in was a miniature library. Books were stacked from floor to ceiling, in ornate wooden shelves completely free of dust. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she smiled wryly, knowing that the whole mansion was kept clean thanks to her Harry-niisan.

Sona had thought about the problem for hours now and come no closer to a solution.

" _Leave it to me, So-tan. Nii-san will make everything better!"_

Except to ask for help. How pathetic was that? Her best option was to ask someone else. She recognized that there were plenty of situations where asking for help was nothing to be ashamed of. She was even vaguely aware, despite the anger and frustration clouding her judgment, that this was probably one of those times.

But she didn't want to. Years ago, she had been trapped in a marriage contract. Predicted it, even. She had been able to escape it on her own power. She considered it one of the crowning achievements of her youth. Asking for help now felt like she was giving up, admitting that she really couldn't escape the prospect of marriage without help from her older sister, who was a Satan, or her hyper-competent secret fiancé, who was the _Master of Death_.

Sona was acutely aware of her flaws. She functioned poorly under pressure. She was prone to fits of anger. She valued order in her life, to the point of inflexibility. She was young. She was relatively weak. She was arrogant. And despite all her knowledge, she was also ignorant.

Sona was scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of everyone else in the world that was stronger than her, smarter than her, better than her. The only people she trusted wholeheartedly were her older sister, Serafall, and her older brother, Harry. They loved her. They would protect her, even if it cost them everything.

It shouldn't have to be this way. Why was she so helpless?

She didn't even notice when she collapsed to the ground, crying.

Sona didn't know how long she spent in the library. It felt like hours. Nobody else came. Serafall lived alone in the house with Harry, just the two of them. The library had been made specifically for her. In here, she had played chess with her big brother every single week. She remembered the first time she beat him. She remembered him reading things to her as she sat in his lap.

…She remembered when she found out about him and Serafall.

Slowly, Sona's eyes closed. She had exhausted herself. The last thing she remembered was being covered by a familiar softness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

That night, Harry felt a mental tug that could only have been from one person.

Sighing heavily, he teleported into his office in Kuoh Academy, and found Serafall Leviathan standing there with her back turned to him. She didn't move to face him, which Harry found perplexing at first. He was about to reach for her shoulder when, on his desk, the Resurrection Stone flashed with urgency. Immediately, he was on full alert.

"Serafall, drop it."

The message had been short. The Deathly Hallows didn't communicate with words, but with ideas, and Harry had a crystal clear picture in his head.

Serafall turned around, and Harry saw the Queen Piece in her hands. Her expression was blank. Behind her, he caught a brief glimpse of the rest of his Evil Pieces, standing upright on his desk rather than in their magically-sealed box. He knew he would regret teaching Serafall about seals one day.

Harry evaluated his options. He couldn't use magic on the Piece. If he did, he would activate the bonding process. He attempted to reason with her.

"Sera, there's no going back."

She continued to stare at him. Almost as if she was staring right through him. He couldn't afford to hesitate.

"There are other ways."

They were separated by three steps at the most. Harry closed the distance slowly. One step.

"I can fix it."

Two steps.

"I always do."

He stood in front of her. He slowly reached up and grabbed a hold of the Queen Piece.

"Just let it go, Sera. It's over."

Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, he removed the Piece from her grasp.

"Soon, Sera. But not now. Now is not the time."

Serafall blinked a few times as Harry pulled her into his arms.

"She was crying," she said, the first words she'd said since he appeared.

She wrapped her own arms around him and clung tightly, as if she were holding on for her life. Idly, Serafall noted Harry wasn't wearing his usual cloak. The thought was gone moments later.

"I know," he replied soothingly. "It's okay. She's a strong girl. She's a smart girl. She'll figure it out."

They didn't say anything for a bit.

"You remember what I said to you a week ago?" Serafall asked quietly.

"Yes. I remember," Harry responded. "One more year, right?"

"I've changed my mind. One month."

Harry pulled away slightly to look at her. She was deadly serious.

"Okay. That works out nicely, actually. One month it is."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Story details, such as planned pairings, hints for Harry's Peerage, and answers to frequently asked questions are also posted there.

Early release, yay!(?)

There's been a slight name change for the chapter. For those wondering, the old chapter title was "Will." We try not to change the chapter titles after we've finalized them, but there was a substantial amount of content in this chapter that was cut, rewritten, and/or moved. The idea behind the naming is still relevant, but there's a particular nuance to "will" that we felt was lost with the changes.

The flashbacks we intended to include were mostly scrapped.

In the next update, Asia surprises everyone, Issei flies off the handle, and we learn about Peerages!


	13. RG4of7 Ch10 - Evil, Noble, Tyrant

**Chapter 10 – Evil, Noble, Tyrant**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Four of Seven)**

* * *

" _You again?"_

" _You… remember me."_

" _You are a memorable person."_

" _That statement is false."_

 _Harry looked at the elderly man flatly. Sarcasm was apparently not one of his strong points. A cold wind blew through the graveyard the two men were standing in._

" _Your mind tricks will not work on me this time. Who are you?"_

" _Greetings, Master of Death." A slight pause, as if he were considering how to introduce himself. "I am an observer."_

" _Spare me the act. I can tell. Which concept are you?" The Elder Wand thrummed in anticipation, while the Cloak of Invisibility conformed more tightly to its owner's body protectively._

" _You," the old man said slowly, "are an interesting person. You are… powerful."_

" _Answer the question."_

" _Hmm…"_

 _The old man straightened his posture minutely, but didn't react to the other man's threatening stance. Instead, he reached into the folds of his cloak and held out a small serpent. Harry could tell it was magical in nature, and regarded it with curiosity as it slithered off of the old man's arm and onto the ground towards him slowly._

 _Neither of them said anything, and eventually the snake was right in front of Harry, who took the opportunity to examine it more closely. He was no snake expert, but there was something was decidedly off about the black and white serpent in front of him. It looked similar to a garden-variety snake and was about twice the length of his wand. Since the old man wasn't forthcoming with information, Harry chose to try his luck with what he assumed was the man's familiar._

" _Hello. Do you have a name?" Harry hissed at the snake in Parseltongue. He was confused when the snake did not seem to comprehend his speech or react to him in any way, only lying there on the ground with its head raised to meet his eyes._

 _The Resurrection Stone flashed, and Harry snapped his head back up to look at the old man. Or, he looked at the place the old man had been standing in seconds earlier._

" _Bugger," he cursed under his breath. Clearly his mind was still being influenced somehow if he lost track of the old man that easily. He would have to work on his defenses more. Harry turned and began to leave, but paused slightly when his supernaturally-sharp hearing picked up the sound of something sliding along the floor behind him. He looked behind him and saw the snake on his heels._

" _Well, what am I going to do with you?"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **One year post-summoning**

"What did you do to anger Heaven?"

Harry turned around from his new desk and faced Ajuka. It took the wizard a few seconds to process the abrupt question.

"Oh, that. Apparently, the Book of Life doesn't appreciate my existence," he answered mildly.

 _The Angels also don't appreciate my ability to talk to serpents._

"That's it? They seemed… openly hostile when I mentioned you."

"They, or Griselda?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Harry smirked at having caught the normally calm and composed man off-guard, but soon relented.

"What can I do for you Ajuka?"

The Satan scrutinized the newly-designated honorary Lord of Hell before sighing tiredly and abandoning his original line of questioning, seeing as his target clearly wasn't willing to disclose. If it were truly important, he trusted Harry would have told him, and he respected the other man's privacy.

"I'm here to deliver your set of Evil Pieces since you're now technically a High-Class Devil."

"We're both smart men, Ajuka, and you are easily the smarter of us. Explain to me why you insist on giving me them. And don't give me the crap about traditions," Harry added quickly. "I'm not even a reincarnated Devil, much less a Pureblood."

"Your contribution to the Evil Piece System is more than worthy of recognition and you are a Lord, whether you like it or not."

"Ajuka…"

"I'm getting there. These Pieces are the first of the two sets of new types. I want you to bond with them, and see if they work as intended. You would know best whether they work as intended. Sirzechs got the other set. As for why I want you to keep them, I insist that you do so because it will help foster a healthy relationship between Hell and the 'Noble Orion.' I shouldn't have to tell you how much that would help us solidify support from the masses."

He didn't. Harry was very well aware of how his popularity had exploded in the past six month.

"There are others smart enough to figure out I didn't do this alone, but dumb enough not to keep their mouths shut. Revealing yourself under your alter ego is the best we could come up with," Ajuka explained.

"…Did it have to be my stage-name from Serafall's show?"

"It's the easiest and most readily-available identity you can link to yourself, 'Sirius Black.' Since you never appear without your costume, we can spin it so that others let you keep it on. Unless you want to establish a different identity, this is our best bet. If you prefer the 'Tyrant Orion' moniker, that works too, and it would make the other Devils respect you more."

Harry could see Ajuka was being completely serious, so he gave in to the inevitable.

"Fine. But I'm not going by something like 'the Tyrant.' Just introduce me by my full name. What's my story?"

"Serafall met you randomly one day in the human world and convinced you to star in her show for kicks. You were popular enough she kept you. We, the other Satans, were worried she was getting too close to you and investigated your background, where we discovered you used to be a prominent Magician. From there, I recruited you to help develop the new Pieces using your knowledge of a long-lost magic system."

"All technically true, and yet likely to lead to the wrong conclusions. I can tell why you went into politics."

"Be serious, Harry."

"I am Sirius, and my hair hasn't grown an inch for centuries."

"Did you… just make a pun?"

"Sirius Orion Black is the Master of Puns."

"Not Death?"

"No, that would be his godson, Harry."

Ajuka gave Harry the most deadpan stare he could possibly muster, which did absolutely nothing to remove the shit-eating grin from the wizard's face. Eventually, they both broke out into quiet chuckles.

"Will they buy it?" Harry asked after a short pause.

"It's believable enough," Ajuka responded. "It isn't the first time Serafall's done something like this, and she has complete control over her own show. If she hadn't already told everyone you were a human to make them freak out, you'd have a near-perfect cover."

"The Magicians know who I am. They also know that nobody named Sirius Black has ever been a member of any major organization."

"Already taken care of. Mephisto is willing to vouch for you."

"What's in it for him?"

"He has expressed interest in the new Pieces and will be receiving two sets for testing and experimentation with the understanding that they are not his to keep. He has also volunteered his organization's resources to help improve the Pieces and the System if we allow him to trade the rest of his in."

"Which type does he want?"

"Take a guess."

"…I somehow doubt he is interested in charity," Harry said.

"You would be correct," Ajuka answered with a wry smile.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Okay… Will I be expected to show myself at any public events?"

"Only the announcement for the new Pieces and the next Rating Tournament, Mr. Black."

Outwardly, Harry sighed and told Ajuka he'd be there, asking him to send details over later. Inwardly, Harry had to fight to keep himself from bursting into laughter at the thought that his godfather's name would be forever associated with Underworld nobility and a magical girl show. This whole situation was like one big prank. Sirius would be proud.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present day**

Harry stared at the fourteenth Sacred Gear user dossier he had just received from Azazel. Seriously, what was it with Kuoh and Sacred Gears? Did God secretly install a Sacred Gear magnet deep underground or something, or was there some other divine authority at work? Next to the leader of the Grigori, a nervous Asia Argento shuffled her feet uncomfortably. Harry pushed the file to the side temporarily and addressed the fidgeting girl.

"Hello, Asia."

"Eep! Good morning, Mr. Potter."

"As today is Thursday, classes are in session. Why don't you run along, and we can catch up later?"

The timid girl nodded and excused herself, throwing a couple of backwards glances before she left the room. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, Harry placed several silencing spells on and around his office and activated the privacy wards as well. He then turned to the Fallen Angel, who was sitting patiently with an amused smile on his face.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say someone was doing this on purpose," Harry started. "Since I do know better… Why are you doing this?"

The certainty with which he asked the question made the other man grin.

"The strangest things happen when Sacred Gear users gather together," the scruffy-looking Fallen replied. He pointed to the most recent file, which had a picture of Vali Lucifer on the front. "The stronger, the better."

Harry was unimpressed.

"It won't interfere with whatever plans you have, I promise," Azazel assured him.

"Do you even know what my plans are?"

"Not really, but are you going to sit there and tell me having the future White Dragon Emperor helping you is a bad thing?"

Rather than answer him, Harry turned to look at the dossiers.

Forbidden Balor View, Sword Birth, the Boosted Gear, and Twilight Healing. Those four were affiliated with Rias Gremory, as their hosts were part of her Peerage. Mirror Alice and Absorption Line. Those two belonged to members of Sona's Peerage. Together with Divine Dividing, these seven Sacred Gears could be said to be firmly on the side of Devils.

Then there was Dimension Lost. The file on its host was bare, not to mention he was no longer in Kuoh. It was however confirmed that the group he belonged to, the Hero Faction, was responsible for the rest of the Sacred Gear signatures in Kuoh. Since the failed attack by Kokabiel, all of them had withdrawn from the town, but not before several of them had already been identified.

Harry was particularly interested in Jeanne and Leonardo as the hosts of Blade Blacksmith and Annihilation Maker, respectively. The former was eerily similar to Yuuto's Sword Birth, while the latter was a Longinus. He was also _very_ interested in the faux souls attached to certain members of the Hero Faction. They claimed to be descended from famous historical and mythological figures like Hercules and Siegfried, so these souls could be the source of their beliefs.

Initially, Azazel's Sacred Gear-sensing ward mistakenly picked up Harry's modified Time-Turner due to its divine energy component, but Harry was quick to inform the man of such before he sent someone to spy on him. Doing so required that he reveal its abilities, but it wasn't too much of a loss since Rias, Sona, their Peerages, the Four Great Satans, and Michael already knew. Might as well let the remaining leader of the Three Factions in on the secret.

A polite cough interrupted Harry's thoughts. He looked at the grinning Fallen who had taken his silence for agreement. To be fair, Vali was a valuable resource.

"Yes, fine. He's useful. But, how exactly did you manipulate members of an enemy faction?"

"I have my ways," Azazel replied mysteriously.

"Vali idolizes me, you know."

"…Damn him. He told you already, didn't he?"

"I didn't even have to ask." Harry smiled at the other man's pouting expression.

"Yeah, so I had him feed their leader information and convince him to commit more forces to his plan," the Fallen admitted. "They were going to do something anyway, I just had Vali ingratiate himself and feed me, and by extension us, information so we were better prepared for it."

"I'm not condemning you for anything. It was a good idea at the time."

"It was? I mean, of course it was! What do you take me for?"

Harry politely ignored the other man's mistake. "Now, though, we need all the information we can get. If you're hiding anything else as important as a potential spy at the heart of our enemy's operations, now would be the time to come forward."

"Well, since you asked nicely…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It was late afternoon when Harry arrived at the Occult Research Club. When he walked into the waiting room, he saw Rias, Akeno and Asia seated around a table, discussing something. Picking up a few sentence fragments, he was able to identify the topic as the magic Akeno had been practicing for the past week and a half. Yuuto was leaning against the wall by the window as he often did, his eyes closed. Harry supposed he was meditating. Off to the side, Gasper was staring intently at the leather pouch hanging from Issei's hip. Every so often, the pouch would move a little, indicating that whatever was inside was most likely either magically-volatile or alive. Issei seemed extremely uncomfortable with where the cross-dressing Dhampir was directing his attention.

Harry cleared his throat. The occupants of the room looked at him in confusion, except for Asia.

"Harry-jiisan? What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Sona right about now."

"I'm here to give you your briefing and three-day notice, Rias."

"I thought Grayfia was in charge of that."

"She was," Harry replied. "But, if you would rather not hear what I have to say…"

"No! Wait! That's not what I meant!" Rias cried out. She stood up and ran over to Harry. When she arrived in front of him, she clasped her hands together and looked at him pleadingly with the patented puppy-dog eyes. Thankfully, Harry did not need to resist them this time, even though they were simultaneously much less effective and much more dangerous when used with someone with Rias'… assets.

"Relax, imouto mine. I was joking. Besides, I can't shirk my duties like that. I have to set a good example for the rest of the Devils."

The rest of the room deadpanned at him.

"…That hurts, guys."

Harry got a round of laughter for his trouble, which was the point in the first place. No reason to make this any more tense and uncomfortable than it had to be. He motioned for everyone to gather around, and conjured a whiteboard. A couple of markers popped into existence, ready to help him illustrate his points.

"Ahem. Rias Gremory, your Rating Game against Diodora Astaroth takes place in three days' time, this time on Sunday. You and your Peerage are hereby excused from classes tomorrow and for the next three weeks as part of preparations for joint exercises with Heaven and the Grigori. You should have already been made aware of the additional circumstances surrounding your performance in the upcoming Rating Game, but if not, I can reiterate them."

At this, the expressions of everyone else tightened.

"…I'll take that as a no. As this is an officially-sanctioned Rating Game, you are entitled to identifying information on your opponents for the purposes of fairness and to ensure that neither side receives outside assistance."

"I am?" Rias asked with some surprise. She got a flat look from Harry, and caught on quickly. "Oh."

"Would you like said information?"

"Yes," she replied more confidently, silently thanking her older brother and Harry.

"Very well."

Harry waved his hands, and the board behind him was wiped clean.

"Your opponent, Diodora Astaroth, is the former heir of the Astaroth Clan. He was disinherited for being suspected of assisting in the murder of the heir of the Glasya-Labolas Clan, though his guilt was never conclusively proven. He was eventually proclaimed innocent by the High Council, but not before his family cast him out. Before and after the incident, he was famous for his penchant for collecting holy women as part of his Peerage."

Asia shuddered slightly, but calmed when Issei wrapped an arm around her.

"He won't lay one finger on Asia!" the boy stated resolutely. The rest of the room smiled at the boy's protectiveness of his little-sister figure, though said girl was blushing furiously.

"As I was saying," Harry continued, redirecting attention back to himself, "Diodora's Peerage is made up of former holy women, with the exception of one male Bishop. Though many have lost their ability to manipulate holy energy after becoming Devils, don't be surprised if they still have access to measures like holy water. He also owns a complete Peerage. None of his Pieces mutated prior to bonding."

In the world of Devils, this was both a good and a bad thing. Before the growth system had been implemented, owning a full Peerage was universally beneficial for the King of said Peerage, as it meant he or she had access to every Piece in Rating Games. However, after Ajuka announced improvements to the Evil Piece System, it was revealed that potential growth stopped when a Piece bonded with a host. Therefore, even if a Devil's Pieces allowed themselves to be used, it might be beneficial to wait for a possible mutation, since they always at least doubled a Piece's worth.

Diodora's Peerage was worth the base value of eight Pawns, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and a Queen, or 39 Pawns in all (8+10+6+6+9). Rias' incomplete Peerage was worth ten Pawns, one Rook, one Knight, one Mutated Bishop and one regular Bishop, and one Queen, or at least 36 Pawns in all (10+5+3+6+3+9), if Koneko were present. She also had one unused Rook and one unused Knight.

"His Peerage is not particularly noteworthy, and neither is he. Compared to you, Rias, I would actually say his magical core is only marginally bigger, but this has changed in recent times. About a year ago, Devils around him noticed an explosive growth in his magical reserves. Currently, he is rumored to possess three to five times the reserves a Devil his age should be capable of housing. Luckily, he gained his last Peerage member before that."

"How is that possible?" Rias asked.

"Later. First, his Peerage." Harry waved his hands again, and fifteen folders popped into existence in the air next to him, distributing themselves amongst the others. "Each of these is a complete file on them, including their preferred combat styles, notable moves from past Rating Games, and abilities prior to being reincarnated."

"This is…" Yuuto's voice was a mixture of awe and excitement as he read through the first folder he could grab.

"Amazing!" Rias finished. The rest of her Peerage expressed similar sentiments.

"Your cousin sends his regards," Harry told her wryly.

"Sairaorg?"

"He was very… distressed when he found out about your situation."

"How did he find out?" Another flat look. "Oh."

"Indeed. As part of the officiators, I am not allowed to tell you anything besides the identities of and basic information about your opponents. However, all I have done so far is convey a very long message and deliver some gifts from a family friend."

"You're actually an officiator?"

"Absolutely. By the way, I wasn't joking when I said this is all a message." A wave of his hands made a scroll appear, which then unfurled to a length easily exceeding several meters. Rias and her Peerage stared at the paper incredulously.

"Your friend Seekvaira Agares sends her regards as well." The scroll rolled itself back up, and floated over to sit innocuously on Rias' desk. "I have decided to summarize the important points of the message, as spending too much time in your company could be construed as interference from an official." He winked at her, causing her to giggle.

"Now that that's over with, let's get back to Diodora himself." All attention was instantly on Harry again. "I'm not supposed to say stuff like this, but what the Hell, they won't mind one little breach of protocol." Many occupants of the room were struggling to keep a serious face. Their struggles ceased when Harry adopted his own serious expression.

"His growth is unnatural by all accounts. We, the Four Satans, Azazel, and I, have strong suspicions, but no concrete proof. Nonetheless, I trust that you all will be able to prevail." He met Issei's eyes, who nodded empathically and ran one hand over the pouch at his waist, which wriggled in response to the stimulus. Once Harry was sure the boy got the message, he looked at each of the gathered Devils in turn, getting nods from them as well. He stopped at Asia.

"Asia, since Azazel's errand took the entire training period and then some, I am unfortunately unable to teach you anything like I did Akeno. However, I'm sure you have some surprises of your own to share with your allies. Do so as soon as possible."

Finally, his eyes settled on Rias last.

"Rias, I regret to tell you that Koneko will not be returning for some time, though you need not worry about her condition."

"Did something happen?" she asked worriedly.

"A minor complication. A ghost from the past has apparently resurfaced and she is very eager to investigate."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Suffice to say, she is perfectly safe and will be back as soon as she is able. In the meantime, do you have anyone in mind to substitute for your Rook? It would be a shame to learn Castling, only to be unable to use it."

"I don't…"

"Then I volunteer!" a voice sounded from the hallway. Yuuto palmed his face in resignation. A second later, a familiar Exorcist made herself known.

"Xenovia?" Rias asked in confusion.

"Indeed! Ms. Gremory, I implore you to accept me as a Rook of your Peerage for this match!" The blue-haired Exorcist was dressed in her typical white cloak draped over the Kuoh Academy uniform.

"Aren't you with Heaven? I can't just add you to my Peerage for one match."

Harry didn't feel the need to tell her that yes, she could in fact request that very thing.

"Then I will become your Rook permanently!" Xenovia replied without hesitation.

"What?!" "Huh?" "Arara?" Various exclamations of surprise came from the rest of the Devils.

"Uhh… well…" Rias started slowly.

"Am I not good enough? Then, I will prove myself! Yuuto Kiba! I challenge you-"

"Denied," Yuuto cut her off.

"Eh? But I- Well, um. Err, Harry Potter! I would test myself against you to-"

"Wait wait wait, no. Stop," Rias commanded. "Why do you suddenly want to join my Peerage? Aren't you an Exorcist?"

"That I am! In fact, I just received my official commendation from the Church!" She puffed her chest out in pride. Harry noted with some surprise and no small amount of approval that Issei was actively resisting the opportunity to ogle the girl's assets. Obviously, their talk had the desired effect on the boy.

This only confused Rias more.

"Then why…?"

"While I was training with Yuuto Kiba and Souji Okita, I was told that the path of the sword need not worry about divisions of race or even species," Xenovia said. "When I brought this up with Master Griselda, she agreed that such barriers should not stop me from pursuing my goals, although I am of the opinion she might have been referring to other things as well since she seemed to be blushing." A couple of the others looked at her flatly.

"REGARDLESS! I have taken their words to heart. Through careful introspection…" Yuuto scoffed loudly and pretended he had choked on something. "…I have come to the conclusion that I will be better-served in my pursuit of mastery over the blade arts if I am in close proximity with like-minded individuals. With Master Griselda's induction into Lord Michael's Peerage, I am left with no option but to ask him for the same or else find my own way. As he has already refused me previously, here I am."

"So, I'm like a second choice?" Rias asked. Her voice was flat like her expression.

"Yes." A blunt response from an equally blunt girl.

Rias sighed and looked to her Peerage for opinions. She received generally positive responses from Issei, Asia, and Akeno, Gasper was neutral, but curious, and Yuuto refused to meet her eyes. Then, she looked at Harry.

Harry, in turn, looked at Yuuto, who shot him a very pointed glare. When he smiled in response, Yuuto's momentary look of horror quickly morphed into resignation.

"I think it's a good idea. But, I'm just an officiator, and thus, cannot offer opinions on such things."

"Fine. Good enough for me. Welcome aboard, Xenovia."

"Thank you, Rias Gremory! I vow you will not regret this!"

"I'm not making you a Rook though. I was thinking more a Knight."

"Done," Harry said. The rest of the room looked at him. "Xenovia's registered as your replacement Piece for Koneko. Normally, additions to Peerages are disallowed this close to a Rating Game, but as you are down a Piece for reasons related to High Council business, you are entitled to a replacement. Now, I'll be on my way. I wish you all the best of luck."

With that, he turned and left. He stopped a short distance outside the old school building. He didn't have to wait long.

"Yes, Issei?"

The boy had come out running.

"You said you're one of the officials, right? Then I have something I need your help with."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **At the same time, earlier**

"Good afternoon, Mr. Astaroth," Harry greeted amiably while dressed head to toe in black armor. His cloak hung loosely around his shoulders, acting like a normal cape. He was standing in an extravagantly-decorated waiting room. He had to magically augment his voice to address the Devil seated in front of him at one end of a long table.

"The Tyrant, in the flesh. Or the armor, I suppose. I am honored to be in your presence," Diodora Astaroth greeted back. "When I heard you were one of the officiators of the Rating Tournament, I admit I had hoped we would meet."

"Your flattery is wasted on me."

"Ah, and there's the hostility," the Devil said, not at all bothered by Harry's statement. "Very well, I will prove myself worthy of your attention in time. I assume you are here for the customary briefing."

"I am. Diodora Astaroth, your Rating Game against Rias Gremory of House Gremory takes place in three days at this time. Are you aware of the additional circumstances surrounding your performance in the coming Game?"

"I am."

"Very well. Do you have any questions?"

"My, so direct. Your personality is well-known, but I had hoped we could discuss other matters."

Harry turned and made to leave.

"Wait. As a participant in the tournament, I have questions and tasks for you as an official."

"State them."

"First, I demand proof of your identity as Sirius Orion Black, the Tyrant, and as a tournament official."

Reluctantly, Harry removed his cloak and reached behind it as if to retrieve something from within. A second later, he withdrew the Wizard Piece. which he then tossed over to the Devil. To the vast majority of Devils, the Pieces he had been awarded in recognition for his service were proof positive of who he was, beyond his trademark armor. The story spread amongst the public was that his cloak was an indestructible magical artifact that he could use to store things in a pocket space. Thus, he was well-known for withdrawing his specialized King Piece from said space whenever asked to prove who he was. In reality, he simply teleported the Piece from the box in his office into his hands, but his brand of teleportation was nigh-undetectable if he wanted it to be, especially with such a small object.

"That should prove who I am. As for official proof…"

Harry withdrew a contract with the seal of the High Council on it and let it float across the table as well. Diodora gave the paper a cursory glance before he returned his attention to the Piece in his hands.

"Intriguing. This does not look like a traditional King Piece, yet it does not quite project the image of 'Tyrant' either. Nonetheless, it is most definitely Lord Orion's King."

He tossed it back, and Harry caught it in an armored fist. The piece of paper floated back as well, and the wizard was quick to pretend to slip both back into his cloak.

"I have satisfied your inquiries. Now, state your business."

"Indeed… I believe I am entitled to basic foreknowledge of my opponent and her Peerage?"

"Rias Gremory currently has six Peerage members. They are her Queen, Akeno Himejima, her two Bishops, Gasper Vladi and Asia Argento, her Knight, Yuuto Kiba, her Rook, Koneko Toujou, and her Pawn, Issei Hyoudou."

"I heard that her Rook is out of town?" the Devil asked curiously.

"She is. She will not be participating in the upcoming Game."

"Her replacement?"

"Rias Gremory has not registered a replacement yet. You will be informed if she does. Is that all?" Harry asked as harshly as he could.

"Almost, my good man. Has the battleground been decided on?"

"She won the coin toss." A lie, the coin had never been flipped. Naturally, nobody but Harry knew this, and as long as he got Diodora's approval, he could bend the rules and state that the Devil had given Rias the advantage of choosing.

"Is that so? I suppose it will be her choice then." Done deal.

"She has already chosen. The battle will take place at a replica of the capital."

"Really now?" Diodora asked with sudden interest. "A very intriguing choice. I wonder if she thinks to gain some hidden advantage? The new construction will give her an edge since I have not been to the residential district in some time."

"I could not say."

"Of course not. Then, two more questions. Are you aware that my property is warded against all forms of teleportation?"

"I am. I fail to see the significance in your question."

"I see. Then, my second question. Who are you, Lord Orion?"

Harry's eyes sharpened behind the visor of his helmet. He could see the Devil's eyes had sharpened as well.

"I have proven my identity," Harry stated calmly.

"You mistake my meaning. My property is warded against _all_ forms of teleportation. Said property encompass the entire surrounding forest."

 _Bugger._

"Since I doubt you walked several kilometers and you did not show up on my locater wards either, you must have teleported in somewhere. Incidentally, you were first detected right outside the door of my waiting room."

"My cloak does more than store my possessions, Astaroth."

"Are you telling me you walked through at least ten kilometers of woodland and avoided detection by all of my wards and all of my Peerage members until you arrived at the door to the room I happened to be sitting in exactly seventy-two hours before my Rating Game?"

"I use a long-lost system of magic. I doubt your wards can detect it." Completely true.

"I beg to differ. I have received assurances from at least three expert Magicians that my wards will detect any usage of magic even if said magic is obsolete."

"I would hardly call my magic obsolete," Harry said with a dangerous tone, attempting to intimidate the Devil across from him.

"Oh no, that was hardly what I meant. Truly, I did not mean to offend you," Diodora backpedaled quickly. "I merely meant to say that-"

"Enough. State your business, or I will assume you have nothing further to ask."

"Fine, fine." The Devil looked disappointed, but his expression brightened considerably. Harry was instantly on alert when he pulled out what seemed to be a contract of his own, also bearing the seal of the High Council. "I have new orders for you in particular, Lord Orion. Issued just this morning, straight from the High Council." He smiled amiably as he let the paper float slowly to the armored man.

Harry picked it up and began reading.

SLAM.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Why, whatever do you mean, Lord Orion? Was the contract not clear enough?"

"This is ridiculous! You think to use me as your attack dog?"

"You are an officiator, are you not? I am merely asking you to enforce the rules."

Harry picked up the contract again. As much as he wanted to shred it and kill the Devil sitting across from him, doing so would be counterproductive.

"I will abide by the terms of the contract," he spit out. "But, heed my warnings, Diodora Astaroth. You know not the powers you are playing with."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about," Diodora responded lightly.

"By the time you admit it, it will be too late."

With that, Harry turned around, contract still in hand, and vanished from sight.

Behind him, Diodora Astaroth smiled victoriously.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Three days later**

Rias bit her lip worriedly.

The room they were all sitting in was spacious. A plain wooden table occupied the center, while the walls were bare. A single window showed the sky, the eye-watering blend of colors typical of the Dimensional Gap giving her a headache. The building she and her Peerage currently occupied was her home base. Both floors of it. On either side of the building, equally tall buildings stood as far as the eye could see. Outside, the road was wide enough to allow for two cars to pass comfortably. Across the street stood a similar array of buildings. Simply put, they were starting in a random house on a random street somewhere in the capital of Hell, Lilith.

In the distance she could see Serafall Memorial Hospital, the only other building that didn't seem to blend into the background. This was the home base of her opponent, Diodora Astaroth. Her arrogant opponent had denied the random placement offered by the officiators, and instead designated a famous building as his home base as was his right. Rias had been advised by several others to NOT do that, as it made it easier for your opponents' Pawns to Promote themselves. In fact, as soon as the Game started, Akeno and Gasper would cast magic to make their building seem like any other, and Rias herself would relocate to a completely different house on an adjacent street.

The plan was simple. Yuuto and Xenovia, despite the former's distaste for the latter, worked together amazingly well. Xenovia had adapted to her Piece within hours, and she had actually spent most of yesterday practicing Jumping with Yuuto. They would form a guerilla squad and harass the enemy HQ with their superior speed and teamwork. The girl was currently standing at attention with Durandal at her side. Her eyes were hard as she glared at the hospital. Next to her, Yuuto's gaze was also unusually focused as it flickered between his partner and the enemy's base.

In the meantime, Akeno would strike out seemingly on her own in order to lure out attackers. She would be supported from the shadows by Issei, Gasper, and Asia, but Issei's real objective was to make it to the edge of the hospital grounds and Promote to a Rook. This was where his training with Azazel would come into play. Issei had demonstrated his ability to perform what he called Half-Castling. Whereas normal Rooks switched places with their Kings, Issei instead transported himself to his King's side or vice-versa. He could also perform this ability in conjunction with any other Piece, but only once per Piece per Promotion, including the King.

As soon as he Promoted, everyone would converge on his position, through use of Half-Castling as necessary, to launch a concerted attack on Diodora himself. With any luck, his forces would be spread throughout the city or already defeated.

Rias looked at her Pawn. Issei had stayed behind to have a private conversation with the enemy King, albeit a short one. When he returned, he had seemed like a completely different person. When Rias asked if he was okay, he was quick to respond in the affirmative, but the look in his eyes said otherwise. He was angry. He was motivated. In the end, Rias had figured it was a good thing as long as he remained clear-headed.

Ding! The sound of a small bell rang throughout the air. Everyone paid attention. This was it.

" **The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth will commence in sixty seconds. Contestants are advised to make final preparations** ," a familiar voice sounded.

"Is that Harry?" Yuuto asked. "Where has he been?"

"Harry?" Rias echoed. She had a bad feeling.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **About one hour earlier**

"Ah, Ms. Gremory!"

Rias turned as she was addressed on her way to her designated teleportation circle. Her Peerage was with her.

"Diodora Astaroth…-san. May I help you with something?"

"Now, now. There's no need for such formalities between us. Please, call me Diodora. Your Japanese is excellent, by the way."

"Thank you, but my Peerage and I would like to scout our home base out. We were, after all, randomly placed."

"Ah, I completely understand!" Diodora said. "If I could trouble you for a moment however, I would like to have a talk with one of your Peerage members…"

Instantly, several people moved in front of Asia.

"…My reputation precedes me. But, not to worry, she was not who I was interested in speaking with, though I am still very interested in making her acquaintance. Perhaps afterwards?"

"Keep your hands to yourself, Astaroth-san," Rias responded harshly.

"Why so hostile? I have nothing but the purest of-"

"Cut the bullshit!" Issei shouted, interrupting him. "Everyone knows what you did to your Peerage!"

"My, how rude. I suppose I should not have expected better from a reincarnated Devil."

"Astaroth-san, my Peerage and I are rather unwilling to converse with you. Unless you have something important to say, we would like to begin preparing," Rias said with a clipped tone.

"Why don't you let your Peerage members speak for themselves? You never know," Diodora said softly. He turned towards Xenovia. "You are called Xenovia Quarta, are you not? Daughter of the famed swordswoman Griselda Quarta?"

Before anyone could stop her, Xenovia stepped forward proudly and unafraid.

"I am. Though Master Griselda is only my legal guardian."

"Yes, yes. I was wondering if you might be able to introduce me to her? I hear she and the Satan Beelzebub are- AGH!"

The other King cried out in pain as he was lifted off the ground with one hand by the blue-haired former Exorcist. His Peerage made to act, but the ice in the girl's words stopped them in their tracks.

"I will state this plainly. You make me sick. You are the worst kind of individual." The others looked at her in surprise while the Devil she held struggled and demanded she let go. "Your actions with regards to the blessed women of the Church are enough to make me want to kill you right now. You should be thankful that I no longer operate by their doctrine, or else I would. That you would dare to target my master, my _mother_ , for the sake of your petty revenge speaks volumes as to your character. You are rotten. You are unsalvageable. Know this, that our Lord may forgive you in Heaven, but that I am here in Hell, and I will not."

She lowered him so that they were face-to-face. Since she was taller, this kept his feet from touching the ground.

"No amount of strength, no amount of skill, no amount of magic will protect you. If you _ever_ threaten another woman of the cloth, I will find you. _And I will kill you_."

Xenovia dropped the silent Devil on the ground and walked past him, ignoring the stares of everyone else. She only stopped when she heard the voice of someone she recognized.

"I'm afraid that warrants a penalty for your side, Rias Gremory."

Rias snapped her head around and found herself staring at Lord Orion, one of the officiators of the Rating Games. Something about the man always seemed familiar, beyond his intimidating appearance, but Rias couldn't put her finger on it.

"O-Orion-sama…"

"Assaulting the opposing King, regardless of provocation, is not allowed."

He was interrupted by a coughing Diodora Astaroth.

"Think nothing of it, Lord Orion." He coughed again. "I was out of line."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. In fact, I would much prefer if you deferred the punishment until after…" he trailed off.

"…I see. Do not let it happen again."

"Of course."

The armored man looked at Rias.

"O-oh, yes! Of course! I apologize, Orion-sama. I will control my Peerage."

"See that you do." He stalked off, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. Rias idly wondered how he had managed to sneak up on them if his steps were that loud, but soon dismissed it as irrelevant.

"I… apologize for my Knight's behavior, Astaroth-dono," she said reluctantly.

"Aah, now you're even more formal. That won't do," Diodora said. "Still, I suppose there's nothing for it. You need not apologize. As I said, my words were out of line as well. I wish you the best of luck."

"And to you as well."

With that, Rias turned and began walking back the way she had originally been headed, most of her Peerage following her.

"Issei?" The voice of one of her Bishops stopped her in her tracks. She looked and saw Issei standing in front of Diodora.

"Issei-kun, let's go," Akeno urged gently as she pulled on the boy's arm.

"You guys go on ahead," he said. "I have something I'd like to say to their King."

"Issei…" Rias warned.

"Don't worry, Gremory-sama." His reply brought her up short. Issei never called her that. "I promise I will control myself." His voice was also different. Harder, somehow. She felt a tug on her own arm and saw Yuuto with his hand there.

"Let's go. Trust in your Pawn, buchou."

Rias stared at Issei one last time before gesturing for the rest of her Peerage to continue. She followed them.

"And?" Diodora asked. "What does Rias' Pawn have to say to me?" Around him, his Peerage was tensed, ready to intercept if the brown-haired teenager made any sudden moves.

"I would like to speak with you in private. Man-to-man," Issei requested.

Diodora merely raised an eyebrow. "And why would I listen to you?"

"You are not the only one with the power of a God."

His words froze Diodora in place, but he recovered quickly.

"Whatever do you mean?" he asked with a smile.

"If you want to play dumb, fine. I'll say it with them here," Issei stated.

"No. Stop." The smile was gone. In its place, a severe frown marred the gentle-looking boy's features. "Girls, go on without me. I'll be fine." When none of his Peerage moved, he barked out "That's an order. GO."

Issei waited until he was sure they were alone before he began speaking again.

"I have a message for you," he said.

"Go on."

"You are playing with powers beyond your understanding."

"First Lord Orion, and now you. I seem to have a spy in my midst. Care to disclose?"

Issei felt something invade his mind, but activated his mental defenses like Harry had taught him. His actions had a visible effect on the Devil standing in front of him, who reeled backwards as if struck.

"Nice try, asshole. But things aren't going to go your way this time." His voice hardened further. "I'm warning you; if you try anything, I'll be there to stop you."

"Hah! Who are you to assume you can do anything? What 'power of a God'? Ridiculous!"

"…I'm just a messenger. I don't know much more than you. But I definitely know more than you."

"Oh? What makes you think that?" Diodora asked mockingly.

"You asked me what the power of a God was. You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"Enlighten me."

"No, I don't think I will," Issei said. "But I'm serious. I will not let you do whatever you want. You won't touch my King, you won't touch my friends, you won't touch their friends, I. Won't. Let. You. Hurt. Anybody else." Each of his words was punctuated with a step forward, until he was standing face-to-face with Diodora again.

"Hmph. You think you can stop me?"

"I'll do more than stop you." _Ddraig_. "I'll _end_ you."

The flare of power caught the King completely unaware. For the second time, Diodora was frozen in place, unable to move, only this time, he could not. The power was too great. Instinctively, he drew on his own reserves and felt the familiar pain.

"Ghghrrraaaah!"

"So that's how it is."

An inhuman undertone to his voice. Black veins. Everything Harry had told him was true. Diodora really was way out of his depth. The Devil looked as if he were sick or poisoned, his complexion was deathly pale, and worst of all, he looked as if he were about to attack.

 _Ddraig, is that enough proof?_

 _ **Indeed. As agreed, then.**_

Just as he was about to brace himself for attack, the Devil he faced seemingly returned to normal. Other than his sweating face, which he quickly wiped with a handkerchief, Diodora Astaroth looked exactly the same as he had before.

"My, that was certainly surprising. Who knew you had it in you?" he said. "I guess I should have believed your claims. Still…" The Devil glared harshly at Issei. "You won't stop me. Nobody will. I will have my ultimate revenge against them all."

"No. You won't."

Diodora found himself pinned by a stare he had never experienced before in his life. It was predatory, it spoke of power and dominance, and it belonged to the reincarnated Devil standing in front of him. He had no way of knowing it at the time, but he was being judged. Judged, and found wanting, for the gaze beholding him…

…was the gaze of a Dragon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By the time Diodora came to his senses, Issei was long gone.

He looked around in confusion, before clicking his tongue in annoyance. Without further ado, he quickly made his way to the teleportation circle that would take him to his base. Upon arrival, he waved off all questions and demanded to know how much time was left. His Queen dutifully told him he was just in time.

A ding sounded throughout the air.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry, disguised as Lord Sirius Orion Black, the Tyrant Lord of Hell to the masses, and Noble Tyrant Orion to those who watched Magical Girl Levia-tan, cleared his throat and began reading from the paper on which the Rating Game introduction was printed.

"The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth will commence in sixty seconds. Contestants are advised to make final preparations," he announced, his voice echoing throughout the pocket dimension separated from the rest of the Dimensional Gap. Next to him in the spectators' box, Sirzechs Lucifer, his entire Peerage, Ajuka Beelzebub, Griselda Quarta, Irina Shidou, and several prominent members of the Devil High Council were seated comfortably.

"The Game will be officiated by myself and two others, the Satans Lucifer and Beelzebub. As a contract is at stake that activates at the end of the day, blitz rules are in effect." Sirzechs and several others looked at him in alarm. The various Devils on the High Council smirked victoriously. Harry's own eyes widened as he read the next lines on the paper. "Additionally, victory will only be achieved by total elimination."

"WHAT?!" Sirzechs shouted, no longer able to contain himself. "WHO THE HELL AUTHORIZED THIS?"

"We did," one of the High Council said smugly.

"WHY?!" he demanded.

"Why, didn't you hear?" the same Devil continued. "There was an altercation earlier in the halls prior to the match. Lord Orion witnessed it."

Sirzechs spun and looked at the man in question.

"…It's true. There was an incident between a Knight of Rias Gremory and Diodora Astaroth," Harry reluctantly confirmed. "He… generously offered to defer the punishment until after the Rating Game."

"You misunderstood, milord Orion," a different High Councilman interjected. He quailed slightly when he felt the weight of the gaze hidden by the solid black helmet, but nevertheless finished speaking. "H-he chose to defer p-punishment until after the two teams had separated."

 _That bastard!_

"I see. And this is what he chose?"

"Indeed it is," the original Devil said, voice as smug as ever. Harry was of one mind to punch him. Actually…

"OOF!" The Devil crumpled to the ground, doubled over in pain. Everyone else stared at Harry in shock.

"Your conceit is unnecessary and unwarranted. I suggest you stay silent lest you attract my wrath again."

The Devil could only groan in pain. He cut his own groan off when he registered what the other man had said.

Harry sighed in frustration and looked at the paper. No more surprises, thankfully.

"An incident has been… officiated," he said with extreme satisfaction. "Contestants, on my mark…"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

I have nothing but free time since I'm not working, so have another chapter. My partner is only slightly frustrated at me for wrecking our update schedule within a week of posting it.

Rather than time-skip between events (ex. this happened on day two, this happened on day six, etc.), we will throw in snippets throughout the next few of chapters and let readers fill in the gaps. We may later write training-only Interludes, but it'll just be filler for those curious how different people reacted and trained.

Note that all Sacred Gears are unique in our story. Only one of each exists at any given time.

Why doesn't anyone recognize Harry? Well, look no further than the Prologue! His cloak is special, after all. It doesn't disguise his voice though.

We realize that Asia did not do anything particularly surprising this chapter. This is because we decided to scrap training scenes and even the results demonstrations. We apologize. On the bright side, prepare to be amazed next chapter!

In the next update, we dive right into the fight and its consequences!


	14. RG5of7 Ch11 - Bad Faith

**Chapter 11 – Bad Faith**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Five of Seven)**

* * *

" **Go!** "

Rias was on the verge of panicking.

"Blitz rules?" Issei asked.

"The match only lasts an hour," Yuuto explained. "Each Piece is worth the same number of points as its equivalent number of Pawns, and if both Kings are undefeated, the side with more points in terms of Pieces captured, wins."

"Isn't that good for us? We have less people."

"In theory, yes, but not for that reason. Rias' Peerage is worth less than Diodora's, so he has less to capture from us. But, every one of Diodora's Pieces is worth the base amount, and he has more of them."

"He's going to play defensively and try and snipe our high-value Pieces," Rias said quickly. "In blitz matches, Kings know the positions of the highest-value Pieces on the other team. That means, since you're worth ten Pawns…"

"Oh shit. He can track me?"

"Yes, and keep you from Promoting or just throw everything he has in your general direction. But, that's not the worst part. The victory conditions are total elimination. That means, in order to win, we need to eliminate him and his entire Peerage. A draw counts as a loss in terms of the contract." A good portion of her Peerage gasped, as they didn't know this. "We need a new plan. Any ideas?"

Nobody said anything for a short time, until Issei unexpectedly spoke up.

"I'll just do what Akeno was going to." The others looked at him in confusion. "They'll be going for me anyway, right? I'll act as bait."

"Issei, you aren't as durable as Akeno-san is. The whole point of the other plan was to sneak you into the Promotion Zone," Yuuto told him.

"Then I'll just have to try that much harder!" the teenager proclaimed. "Nothing will stop me! I'll make it there somehow, just you watch, Buchou! Trust me!"

"We may as well try. Every second we spend in here, they get closer. They already know where our home base is," Akeno reasoned. "If we're lucky, he's sending his Pawns here with an escort. Xenovia and Yuuto can intercept them and slow them down. If Issei can make it in time to Promote, he can Half-Castle everyone to the base and we can blitz that bastard right back, ufufu."

A few people looked at Akeno in shock because of her language, Rias included. The sinister giggle at the end was pointedly ignored.

"Akeno…"

"I agree," Xenovia said. "Yuuto and I are more than capable of holding the streets. It's narrow enough, and I guarantee we possess greater skill than our counterparts in case they happen to be accompanying the Pawns. We are best suited for the task."

"What if they aren't coming?"

"Then we'll regroup with you. Either way, this place isn't safe. He can still win by beating you, buchou," Yuuto said.

"He's right, Rias," Akeno agreed. "We need to do something, and I think Issei deserves a chance."

Rias bit her lip.

"Fine," she relented. "But be careful. We don't know what he's up to."

Issei nodded, and immediately set out for the hospital, ducking into a nearby alley to get to an adjacent street. He was followed by Gasper, Asia, and Akeno. Yuuto nodded to Rias, wishing her luck, and set off as well, followed by his partner Xenovia.

Left alone in the room, Rias decided now was a good time as any to start practicing the technique she'd learned from Sirzechs.

"How did it go again? Right, imagine a ball, filled with spinning energy…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Diodora smiled in satisfaction. He knew where the enemy King was, and he also knew where her Pawn was. That worthless, infuriating Pawn. Soon, he would have his rightful revenge on him for his insolence. He was a Pureblood. How dare a reincarnated Low-Class Devil, a PAWN, speak to him like that?

"Your orders, master?"

He spared a glance at his Queen. She was beautiful, to be sure, but he lost interest in her after he had broken her will. Now, she acted as nothing more than a mindless slave, albeit a useful one due to her control over her demonic flames. The Exorcist on his opponent's Peerage though, now there was a mark worth taking down. He would enjoy spending time with her and the nun after he won and was married to the Gremory heiress. Maybe he would have all three of them together?

"The Pawn is making his way here. Stop him," he ordered.

"Who should go, master?"

"All of you. Every single one. I want him dead."

"As you wish."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei proceeded cautiously, but quickly. He knew he had zero stealth abilities, so his best bet was to keep his eyes and ears open. He was about a third of the way to the fence surrounding the hospital's courtyard when he heard a noise.

 **BOOST!**

Issei spun towards the source with his gauntlet prepped and ready. That was his third Boost so far. Eight times his pitiful reserves gave him more than enough for a shot or two. He looked around in confusion when he saw nothing.

"Issei!"

He ducked and rolled on instinct, narrowly avoiding a horizontal swipe from a thin blade. Did all Knights fight with swords, or was he just that unlucky? He caught a brief glimpse of his attacker before his vision was blocked by a white Exorcist cloak and a head of blue hair.

"They're here for you, Issei Hyoudou! Run!" Xenovia commanded as she swung Durandal wide. The two Knights she had fended off backed up slightly. "You two! I recognize you! You participated in the Holy Sword Trials!" She was forced to parry a long sequence of blows from two different directions, cutting off her words. "What happened to you two?"

Issei leveled his gauntlet at the swordswomen, but was unable to line up a clear shot. In his few seconds of aiming though, he noticed the presence of several other girls behind the two Knights, all running in their direction. Most of them were bare-handed, but a few held short staves, one a longer staff, and another had a bow and arrow.

"Issei, dive!"

Trusting in his allies, Issei threw himself forwards in the direction of the hospital. Moments later, a black fireball impacted the ground behind him, throwing debris everywhere and setting the area on fire.

"This way!" Yuuto shouted from a nearby alley. When Issei made it to him, he grabbed the boy's shoulder. "Go back to Rias. They're all coming for you. We saw them leave the hospital."

Akeno became visible. "I'll help you hold them off."

"No, leave us. We can handle ourselves." He interrupted Akeno as she was about to speak again. "Rias-buchou needs you more than we do. We trained for this. It's what Knights do."

"Knights don't sacrifice themselves, Yuuto," Issei said. "Don't act so like… like actual knights!"

"The word you're looking for is 'chivalrous'," Yuuto responded wryly. "And don't worry. Xenovia-san and I have no intentions of losing here. Now go!" He pushed Issei and Akeno away before drawing Holy Eraser and deflecting an arrow.

"I can't say I've ever really appreciated the amount of female attention I seem to attract," he commented.

"Must you talk about this now?" his partner asked as she swung Durandal in a powerful vertical slash, unleashing a blade of wind from its edge. The wind blade caught one of the unarmed girls behind the two Knights she had been trying to hit.

" **Diodora Astaroth's Pawn, retired** ," the voice of Harry said authoritatively.

"Tch. I wasn't trying to hit her…" Xenovia said, annoyed. Yuuto just smirked in challenge.

"You wanted a duel, right Xenovia?" That caught the girl's interest. "I see a lot of enemies."

"I accept your challenge, Yuuto Kiba! Come at me, Peerage of Diodora Astaroth!"

Rather than listen to her, the majority of the crowd attempted to go around her and Yuuto, with only the two Knights engaging them as if on some unspoken order. Predictably, she took offense to this.

"Cowards!" She swung Durandal in a wider, horizontal arc this time, shooting out another blade of wind. This time, although Diodora's Peerage knew what she was capable of, it still hit two of them, cutting across one's chest and cutting another's legs off who tried to jump and didn't make it in time. Both vanished.

" **Diodora Astaroth's two Pawns, retired.** "

Yuuto, not to be left behind, tossed Holy Eraser like a javelin at one of the Devils that had taken to the air to avoid Xenovia's attack. It was deflected, but his follow-up strike after seemingly teleporting across the distance separating them was not. His short flight was ended when the girl with the long staff swung it at him like a baseball bat and impacted his guard.

"Oof!" Yuuto grunted as he absorbed the force of the swing with his arms and bled off as much as he could by moving away from it. His arms were still left numb.

 _Definitely a Rook._

He looked back at his attacker just in time to sidestep a spear of light.

 _What?_

Deciding to test something, Yuuto swung Holy Eraser at the next spear of light the sole male in the crowd threw at him from behind the Rook with the staff. Sure enough, it broke apart when he hit it, rather than being absorbed when it touched his sword.

 _Not holy energy then. Demonic light? That's new._

"We're a rare breed, you and I," he said to the Bishop. "I almost feel bad about further endangering our gender. So, sorry, but… I'm not sorry!" With a grunt of exertion, he pushed off of the ground in a straight line for the Bishop. The Rook stood in his way and attempted to repeat her attack from earlier. Unlike last time, the staff passed through Yuuto as if he weren't there. Soon enough, his body passed through the Rook completely, with both the Rook and Bishop's eyes widening in abject shock. That shock lasted just long enough for Yuuto to plunge the blade of Holy Eraser into his male opponent's chest up to the hilt. He allowed himself a grim smile of satisfaction.

" **Diodora Astaroth's Bishop, retired**."

Immediately, Yuuto let himself drop to the ground to avoid the return swing from the Rook now behind him. His relief was short-lived, as he found himself under attack from the other Bishop, who flung identical spears of light. His vulnerability after landing cost him as one pierced his thigh.

"Rrgh!" Yuuto growled as he grasped the spear of demonic light. As expected it didn't burn him on contact or even hurt that much. With a violent motion, he pulled it free of his limb and summoned one of his few self-recovery swords.

"Keep your eyes open, Yuuto Kiba!"

Yuuto looked up from his wound to see both Knights bearing down on him before being intercepted by Xenovia. While she was occupied, however, the remaining Bishop managed to score another hit, this time through the former Exorcist's dominant sword arm.

"Tsk! HAH!" Despite her injuries, Xenovia swung Durandal with more force than she had used during the entire fight so far. "My turn!" She launched herself at the Bishop. The two Knights blocked her way, but she executed her own form of Jumping. The Paladin Roland was famous for his bastardization of his opponents' techniques. Lesser known was the man's penchant for copying his allies'. Xenovia had never truly mastered the Knight's traditional Jumping ability. Instead, she had unlocked a skill dormant within Durandal that allowed her to mimic her allies to an extent. So long as she could physically perform the action, which she could now that she was an actual Knight, the sword took care of the rest.

The Bishop had seen what Yuuto was capable of though, and so had already hurled two more light spears at her allies' backs without hesitation, predicting Xenovia's movement. The two spears caught the former Exorcist in her left shoulder and right foot, but weren't enough to stop her forward aerial momentum. With nothing but a small snarl, she swung Durandal true, bisecting the Bishop from shoulder to hip, before landing on her feet gingerly.

" **Diodora Astaroth's Bishop, retired.** "

The blue-haired girl surveyed the landscape. The rest of Diodora's Peerage had already left, leaving just the two Knights.

"Yuuto Kiba! Go and support our King! I will handle them!"

"You won't make it," Yuuto said. He tested his leg. The sword had done as much as it could. With a thought he was holding Holy Eraser again.

"Hmph! I have vanquished three Pawns in addition to my Bishop. After I defeat these two Knights, you have no chance of winning our duel!" Xenovia proclaimed proudly. She pulled both spears out of her body, the fact that she didn't utter a sound a testament to her level of pain tolerance. "Go, and accept your defeat like a man! If you defend our King to the end, I shall gracefully consider this a draw."

"How generous of you."

"Indeed. You should cry tears of gratitude."

"As if." The boy made to leave, but paused as he found his way barred by one of the Knights. A moment later, Xenovia was there, and the Knight was blasted away.

"GO!" she shouted at him.

Yuuto hesitated, but nodded. "…Godspeed to you, Xenovia."

"Heh, a Devil blessing an Exorcist. Wait until I tell my master."

And then he was gone. She turned to face the two Knights.

"I am Xenovia Quarta. Knight of Rias Gremory. I would have your names before you become as rust upon my blade."

"We need no names." "Everything we are is for our master."

Xenovia clicked her tongue. "Disgusting. I see there is only one mercy I can grant you now." Without saying another word, she sprang into action.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Slightly earlier**

" **Diodora Astaroth's Bishop, retired.** "

" **Dragon Shot!** "

"Lightning Blast!"

"Destruction Lance!"

The attacks arced through the air towards their targets. Issei's struck true, blasting the staff-wielding Rook into a building which then proceeded to collapse. Akeno's electrocuted two girls, but was unable to catch any of the others in its area of effect. Rias' missed completely, but happened to vaporize a hole in one of the buildings that distracted another girl long enough for a follow-up attack to destroy half of her body.

" **Diodora Astaroth's three Pawns and one Rook, retired.** "

The return attacks mostly came from Diodora's Queen, who was doing an admirable job of staying calm in the face of over half her attacking force being defeated near-simultaneously. All that remained was her, one remaining Rook, who was currently caught in Gasper's Sacred Gear field, and another two Pawns who were around somewhere.

Issei frantically dodged the black fire, while Rias batted one of the fireballs aside with contemptuous ease. Akeno was likewise unconcerned with them, though she at least made an effort to avoid their paths. The attack was spread across the three of them, thus it wasn't very effective to begin with.

"This is too easy," Akeno commented almost sadly. "They're all so weak. All that's left are the two Knights and Astaroth himself."

Rias couldn't help but agree. When Issei, Akeno, Gasper, and Asia originally reunited with her, she expected them to be pursued by a large portion of her opponent's Peerage. Instead, the five of them had slowly proceeded towards the hospital, listening to Harry announce the eliminations of over half of Diodora's Peerage by just Yuuto and Xenovia.

When the rest had finally showed up, the initial barrage from them easily took out another half and more of the remaining Pieces. She had expected much more of a challenge. Granted, it would not be easy to take out the fireball-tossing Queen, and the Rook was still alive if trapped, but it was only a matter of time before Diodora was left by himself.

" **Dragon Shot!** "

The energy beam shot true, but was easily avoided by the floating enemy Queen. She retaliated by conjuring even larger fireballs and tossing them all at Issei instead of spreading them out. Sensing danger for the first time, Rias cried out in warning.

"PROTEGO!"

Asia shimmered into existence beside the Pawn, a glowing blue shield manifesting itself over them both. The fireballs spluttered uselessly against it, fizzling into nonexistence without even exploding like they usually did. The Queen stared in incomprehension. Even Rias and Issei were astonished at its effectiveness. Akeno took advantage of her counterpart's stunned state to shoot one of her trademark lightning bolts straight from her hands instead of forming and throwing it like she usually did. Her instant-casting was enough to score a direct hit, but the enemy Queen did not seem to react beyond shaking off the effects of electrocution. In the meantime, Rias took the opportunity to craft another Destruction Lance, aiming at the Rook.

Deciding she obviously hadn't made the fireballs big enough, said Queen then created the largest one yet and tossed it in Issei's direction. Rias, seeing this, panicked and threw her newly-created Lance at it. The two energies collided and did what two volatile energies usually did. The resultant explosion threw everyone in different directions.

Issei's ears were still ringing as he tried to make sense of what was happening. He opened his eyes just in time to see a small foot headed for his face.

"Woah!"

Rolling out of the way quickly, he was further surprised when said foot cratered the ground.

 _I'm getting flashbacks from Principal Harry's 'test'._

 _ **Heads up, brat! There're two!**_

"Huh? AUGH!"

Issei's confusion was swiftly remedied when a fist from a much taller woman buried itself in his stomach, followed by a series of blows landing all over his body that left him doubled over on the ground, coughing.

"Issei! **Balance Break!** YAH!"

The teenager barely registered Yuuto's voice. He looked through half-open eyes as the Knight struggled to fend off his two attackers alone. Luckily, he received assistance within seconds.

"Lightning Blast!"

The spell caught one of the girls in the chest, though she shook it off.

"Damn, they must have Promoted! Asia! Issei needs help!"

Issei felt his body get picked up and moved at high speeds. His vision and other senses slowly returned to him as he felt the soothing energy of Asia's Sacred Gear flowing through him. He opened his eyes and saw the enemy Queen behind Asia.

"Asia, shield!"

"Huh? O-oh, Protego!"

The hastily cast shield did less of a stellar job blocking the fireballs this time, though it still managed to weather the entire barrage. Asia herself looked visibly more exhausted though. Issei heard combat to the side, and saw one girl fly past his view, with Yuuto in close pursuit. Further away, Akeno and another girl were trading magic spells, her lightning to her opponents'… light?

"Where's Buchou?" Issei asked as he got to his feet.

"Helping Gasper. The explosion freed the Rook," Asia replied dutifully. The two of them eyed the Queen, who had already prepared a second barrage of fireballs.

"I swear, is that all she does?" Issei lamented. "Asia, you don't happen to have an offensive spell somewhere, do you?"

"Err, I have one?"

"You do?! Use it!"

"Umm, I'm not sure if it'll work… Harry told me only to use it in emergencies."

Issei gestured wildly at the fireballs. "Emergency!" A second later, they were flying at them. "BIG EMERGENCY!"

"Protego!"

This time, the shield was almost completely transparent. The fireballs also actually exploded, throwing both Issei and Asia backwards. They ended up separated. He was the first to recover and bear witness to the girl who had previously been targeting him almost exclusively adjusting her aim. Having apparently decided Asia was the higher priority, she now held a bolt of fire, the first she had made since the beginning of the fight. The next moment, it was sailing through the air at the defenseless Bishop. Time slowed down.

"NO!"

 _Ddraig, I need it now!_

 _ **I told you-**_

 _DO IT NOW!_

 _ **Tsk. Don't hold me responsible!**_

 **OVER BOOST!**

In that split second, Issei felt his strength double several times over, his speed and senses enhancing themselves to ludicrous degrees. Almost immediately, he also felt the pain, but it was still bearable. The world was moving in slow motion. Wasting no time, Issei pushed off his hind leg, the building behind him losing a large portion of its front. The fire bolt drew closer to the girl's chest. They weren't that far apart, but the precious fraction of a second it had taken for his Over Boosted state to activate had cost him. He would not make it.

 _Ddraig, I need more!_

 _ **You can't handle it, brat.**_

 _Fuck that, do it anyway!_

 _ **I can't Boost you any further. Your core would explode.**_

 _God DAMN IT!_

He reached for Asia. They were hardly two meters apart, but the fire bolt was mere centimeters from impact now. Still, he reached out desperately.

 _I swore! I swore I would protect her! I SWORE, DAMMIT!_

Something in him fractured, just a little.

 _ **Hoh?**_

 _I will…_ "PROTECT THEM ALL!"

Time stopped completely. For just one instant. When it restarted, Issei crushed the fire bolt in his armored hands. The next second, he fainted. The Queen stared incredulously. What had just happened? Had the Pawn teleported? No matter, now that he was unconscious, it would be a trivial matter to kill him as the master had ordered.

"STUPEFY!"

Then, she knew no more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" **Rias Gremory's Bishop, retired. Diodora Astaroth's Queen, retired.** "

Rias looked in the direction of her other Peerage members worriedly. Since Gasper was with her, albeit unconscious, that could only mean it was Asia who had been retired. Miraculously, she was the first casualty on her side. Though, if she wasn't careful, her other Bishop could easily be the second.

Rias stared at the other Rook. She was a short, stocky girl who fought with a pair of gauntlets and a pair of greaves. Several times already, her equipment had proved to be at least resistant to magic, as she was able to bat aside weaker blasts of Rias' Power of Destruction. The Rook usually retaliated by throwing various pieces of debris from the environment generated from Rias' blasts, or, if there were none available, breaking chunks from nearby buildings and using that instead. Rias was forced to destroy these or else risk them hitting her Bishop. She never regretted her lack of strength training more than she did in the past few minutes. Worse, she was running low on magic. The earlier Destruction Lances took more out of her than she thought they would.

" **Diodora Astaroth's two Knights, retired.** "

The Rook seemed content to wait patiently despite the announcement. Rias knew why. Her opponents weren't the ones with a time limit. She had no idea how much time had passed already, but it was easily past the halfway mark. The officiators would traditionally only notify contestants when there were five minutes left. It was probably too much to hope for that they would be allowed by the High Council to announce other increments.

" **You test my patience. Contestants, you have fifteen minutes left.** "

Bless Harry. Fifteen minutes was actually more than she had been hoping for. As it stood, the only remaining members of Diodora Astaroth's Peerage were the Rook she was facing and the two Promoted Pawns her Peerage were no doubt dealing with. Even if the Pawns had Promoted into Queens, which she thought was unlikely given their relative power, it wouldn't take more than maybe five minutes to take care of them. A special rule of blitz matches was that Stalemate, which normally occurred if no combat took place for a certain amount of time, only took sixty seconds to initiate after first contact was made between both sides.

Under Stalemate, the Promotion Zone for both sides would immediately expand to cover the entire battleground. In addition, it would reveal the position of all Pieces to the enemy. Most importantly, in blitz matches, Stalemate froze the timer for a full five minutes if it triggered, regardless of if the Stalemate ended before then, and the five minute timer only began after combat began again. In effect, this meant that if Rias and her Peerage eliminated the entire enemy Peerage, Diodora Astaroth would be forced to confront them within sixty seconds or risk a full five minutes of being subjected to their combined efforts to kill him.

Still, she had to find a way to take care of this troublesome Rook, who was clearly stalling for time. If Gasper would only wake back up, the situation would resolve itself! Unfortunately, that seemed unlikely now that Asia was out of the Game.

" **Rias Gremory's Knight, retired.** "

 _What? Yuuto? Or Xenovia?_

Rias risked a glance at where the rest of her Peerage should have been fighting.

" **Diodora Astaroth's Pawn, retired.** "

Did that mean Akeno had defeated her opponent? If so, she was either now dealing with the remaining Pawn on her own, or would team up with Yuuto to take care of her in short order. Either way, that meant the Pawns were effectively out of the Game as well. All that was left was the Rook.

Rias smirked. "Game Over for you," she taunted. "Any moment now, my Peerage will make their way here and you'll be finished too." The Rook did not respond, and instead watched her carefully for any signs of buildup for a magical attack. Rias clicked her tongue in annoyance. She could not cast like Akeno just yet. As soon as she had the time, she was going to ask Harry how he had taught her Queen to instantly cast magic.

" **Rias Gremory's Queen, retired.** "

 _Wh…at?_

Rias paused in shock. She expected the Rook across from her to taunt her in return, or even just smile victoriously, but she remained expressionless, like a doll. The way the girl's eyes stared emptily at the redhead unnerved her. Since she seemed content not to do anything unless provoked, Rias risked a glance to the side. Gasper was still unconscious and showed no signs of waking up. Meanwhile, the sounds and other signs of combat had ceased as well. Something was very wrong.

A second later, a yellow and black blur crashed into a building next to the three of them, followed closely by a brown and red blur blasting into the unwitting Rook. By sheer chance, the Rook's flight path placed her right next to Rias, and she did not waste the opportunity.

"TAKE THIS!"

Unleashing a point-blank blast of her Power of Destruction, the Rook had her body completely destroyed.

" **Diodora Astaroth's Rook, retired.** "

Rias turned back to look at the building the two bodies had crashed into, but caught sight of the enemy King instead.

"What... what happened to you?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Slightly earlier**

" **Diodora Astaroth's two Knights, retired.** "

Xenovia panted heavily as she braced herself against Durandal, which had been planted upright in the ground. She was covered from head to foot in various cuts, and her right foot, left shoulder, and right arm bled freely. Strips of her Exorcist cloak had been torn off and used to dress the wounds messily, but Xenovia had found that her combat medic skills were lacking.

Still, she had won. And she had lived to tell the tale.

"Hah… Three Pawns, a Bishop, and two Knights… Let's see him… beat that," she mumbled in between breaths. She tried to straighten herself and stand up, but as soon as she stopped leaning on Durandal, she nearly lost her balance and was forced to return to her previous position.

"Looks like… this is the end of the road…" Xenovia sighed and took a few deep breaths. "Well, there's nothing for it now. I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Officiators, I for- Grk!"

Her mouth was covered from behind.

"Now now now… I can't have you doing that. Not after how you treated my Peerage. Such tender mercies you bestowed upon them deserves some sort of reward, no?"

She struggled weakly, but couldn't muster the strength. The hand that wasn't covering her mouth moved between her legs. Her tired eyes widened.

 _This better still work…_

Xenovia closed her eyes and, in the next instant, her body was enveloped in light.

"Oh ho? Attempting the purity rite as a Devil? It's no use, it won't work. I would know. Many of my Peerage tried the same thing, after all. But do go ahead, I'd love to see the face of despair you make afterwards."

Xenovia mustered enough strength to smile.

"Guess… what?"

"Hmm?"

"I… forfeit." And she was gone in a flash of light, leaving a momentarily speechless Diodora Astaroth behind.

Said Devil could swear he heard the word "Dick" on the wind, but it could been his imagination. Unbeknownst to him, Harry had indeed allowed Xenovia to transmit the end of her message to him.

" **Rias Gremory's Knight, retired.** "

"Well," Diodora said. "I suppose that's what I get for playing with my food before it's ready to eat. No matter, I'll have all the time in the world later."

He ran one hand through his messy blue hair, uncaring of the black veins pulsing in his arm.

"Hmm… I suppose now is a good time to wrap things up. I do so love crushing hope. This will be my first time doing it to fellow Devils though. And a Pureblood! I should celebrate somehow. A topic to ponder later."

His rambling finished, Diodora used his senses to tell where the highest-value enemy Piece was.

"Over there? Hmm. Okay."

He walked at a leisurely pace, even though the environment distorted around him. Soon, he found himself at the edge of a rather large crater, with some black fire dotting the landscape.

"This has my lovely Queen's handiwork everywhere. She never did kill the Pawn, did she? I suppose that means she's due for some… _punishment_. Ehe. Hehehe. AHAHAHA… haha. Now where is he?"

After a few seconds of looking around, Diodora located the unconscious body of Issei.

"Oh? He's unconscious. Well that's no fun."

" **Diodora Astaroth's Pawn, retired.** "

"Hm?"

The announcement finally made the deranged Devil notice the conflict taking place nearby. He looked over and saw his future bride's Queen and Knight, the former dressed in a miko priestess' outfit.

"Hmm… Not quite religious. I suppose I can settle for less every once in a while."

Without a care, he walked up right behind her. Never mind that he was actually in midair now. He drew a sword out of somewhere, and examined it carefully.

"Nah, not quite worthy," he said, putting it back.

"Wha!?" Oh, the Queen noticed him.

"Greetings, Queen of Rias Gremory. Please, be patient. I am deciding on which sword is best suited for piercing your beautiful body. Hmm… a longer and thinner one, I suppose?"

Yuuto, occupied as he was with the remaining Pawn, still found the time to blanch.

"Fufufufufu… My, what a vulgar boy," Akeno giggled. "I think that such vulgarity warrants punishment."

"Punishment? No no no NO NO! ONLY I GET TO GIVE OUT PUNISHMENT!" Flying into a rage, he yanked on the first sword he could get his hands on, which happened to be the original sword he had replaced, and stabbed at Akeno.

From the side of his eyes, he saw it happen. Yuuto saw the space distort slightly around Akeno as she tried to get away. Then, the sword the other Devil held, a fairly normal-looking blade, was lodged in Akeno's chest. She had a look of disbelief on her face that remained even as she was teleported away.

" **Rias Gremory's Queen, retired.** "

Yuuto saw red. Without hesitation, he disengaged from the Pawn, swapping the properties of Unified Will to one of his exploding swords, and literally blasting her away. He didn't even care that it hadn't eliminated her. He launched himself off of the ground at Diodora, a wordless cry on his lips.

He was blocked with ease. Yuuto felt his sword hum with energy as the explosive properties activated, but they did nothing to either him or his opponent. A moment later, he was sent flying through the air.

"Hm. I'm not interested in men, though you do have a… Holy aura of sorts. Intriguing. Oh." Diodora paused as he saw Issei on the ground. "Why are all of you so far apart? You're making this more difficult than it needs to be." He threw the brunette boy's body after the other blond boy's. What were their names again?

"And where is my lovely nun? Oh, that's right, my Queen eliminated her, didn't she? More… more PUNISHMENT! AHAHAHAHA! Yes. Yes! Punish them all! I have the power to punish everyone! I'll punish them all myself!"

Idly, he wondered what he had been doing before he started talking to himself.

"Oh, right. Rias Gremory~ Where are you?"

" **Diodora Astaroth's Rook, retired.** "

Hm. Another useless Piece.

He couldn't be bothered to actually search for her, so he just followed his senses to the Pawn again. That annoying, infuriating, worthless Pawn. Why did the Rating Game keep leading him to that Pawn? Who cared if he had ten Pieces? He obviously wasn't worth it if he had been knocked unconscious fighting his weak Peerage. Seconds later, he found his target on the way to the Pawn. How lucky!

Oh, and his last Pawn was there too. Seriously, what a disappointment. Even if they were weak, his entire Peerage failed to take out one Pawn. On top of that, the only Piece they had actually managed to capture was a Bishop and arguably a Knight. AAAH, HE WAS SO DISAPPOINTED. Someone needed punishment. And there was only one person he could punish nearby. It only took one thought…

" **Diodora Astaroth's Pawn… retired.** "

Ahh, he felt much better. Diodora cleaned his sword on his sleeve, which really didn't clean it at all, but he didn't particularly mind. He put the sword away for later, and smoothed down his frazzled hair.

"Why, hello there, Rias Gremory. Fancy meeting you here!" he greeted happily. She didn't seem to hear him, which made the Devil frown.

Rias stared in shock at the King who had just eliminated the last remaining member of his own Peerage. He looked nothing like what he had just an hour earlier. His blue hair had specks and streaks of red and brown throughout, the same bloodspots present all over his tattered clothing and his skin. Speaking of, his skin was pale, deathly white, and his veins were pulsing black, almost as if his heart pumped oil instead of blood.

"What… what happened to you?"

"Whatever do you mean, Ms. Gremory?" the former Astaroth heir asked. "Oh, is it the blood? Ah, it happens. Please don't mind it. Would you perhaps be willing to have that talk with me now?"

"What talk…?" Rias asked warily. Yuuto had picked himself up from out of the building with Issei in tow, though both were limping.

 _Ddraig, please tell me you have a "shut the fuck up" mode._

 _ **Insolent brat. I can Boost you silently, but it will take longer. The one-word incantation is how I activate my magic.**_

 _Good. Initiate "shut the fuck up" mode now and Boost me as much as I can take._

 _ **Hmph. Do not presume to order me around. I am only doing this because-**_

 _Ddraig. Shut the fuck up._

Any further conversation was blocked by Issei. He was never more grateful for his mental training with Harry. True to his word, Issei felt his strength returning slightly. His Boosts normally worked cumulatively, but if he dismissed the Boosted Gear or was passive for too long, he would "downgrade" to a lower Boost level until he was eventually back to normal. Unfortunately, unconsciousness was enough to downgrade him completely at his level, so he was currently working off of just double his usual strength and reserves.

Yuuto winced as he felt his thigh throb. The wound from before had reopened, and was now much worse. He was fairly sure he would be unable to execute Jumping, the Knight or the normal kind, and his mobility, his strongest advantage as a Knight, was severely limited at the moment. He slowly crept forward until he was stopped by Issei. The other boy indicated his Sacred Gear and then made a shushing motion with his finger to his lips.

Was he Boosting silently? That was new. If so, it was best if he got as much time as possible to charge up. Yuuto nodded in understanding and waited. The two of them caught Rias' eyes, and somehow communicated to her that Issei was charging up. She nodded as subtly as she could as Diodora kept talking.

"What talk? What talk indeed," the Devil said, smiling an unhinged smile. "Why, the talk! You know, that talk! The one where we talk!"

If the situation weren't so serious, Rias would be tempted to deadpan so hard she'd make Koneko green with envy.

"What do we talk… about?" she asked instead, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Why, we talk about the things! All the things!"

 _Must not provoke crazy Devil. Must not provoke crazy Devil. Must not provoke the crazy Devil!_

"How many things?" she tried.

"Weren't you listening? ALL OF THEM! I thought you were a bright young woman, Ms. Gremory. Please don't go and prove me wrong this late in the Game."

 _DO. NOT. PROVOKE. CRAZY. DEVIL!_

"Coming from you, I'm not sure that means anything."

 _FFFFFUUU-_

"Ooh, sassy! There's that sassiness! I like it! I like it when my pretty prey talks back!"

 _Phew. Wait, what?_

"What?" Rias asked dumbly.

"My prey! You! Are my prey! Obviously!" Diodora yelled while gesturing randomly. The veins in his arms seemed to throb, becoming even more pronounced. Then, all of a sudden, he bent over backwards as a beam of energy lanced through the air where his torso had previously been.

"Shit! Ddraig, again!"

"No time!"

"BAD! PUNISH!"

"AAAUGH!"

"Yuuto!"

"NOW, DDRAIG!"

Another beam of energy shot out, catching Diodora point-blank in the chest and blasting the Devil far away. Yuuto, who had been impaled on one of the Devil's many swords, weakly grasped at the hilt sticking out of his chest, before giving up and looking at Issei.

"It's up to… you, Issei. Protect her." Then he vanished in the light of teleportation.

" **Rias Gremory's Knight, retired.** "

"DAMMIT!" Issei shouted, pounding his gauntleted fist against the building he was still standing in. He quickly regained his senses and made his way down to his King.

"Rias-buchou! Are you alright?"

"Yes, Issei, but-"

"Bad, bad, bad. Bad bad bad bad bad! BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD!"

Diodora reappeared, no worse for wear save for the gaping hole in the front of his clothing which revealed his chest. The lines of black veins ran to its center, where it looked like his heart had tried to burst out of his chest and only made it halfway. The organ was completely black, and was beating just like a real heart.

"Ew, that's sick, man…"

"BAD! YOU. ARE. BAD! I WILL PUNISH YOU!"

He pointed his finger, and a ridiculous amount of power began gathering there.

"Whaoh SHIT! DDRAIG! SHUT THE FUCK UP MODE DISENGAGE! HELP!"

 **OVER BOOST!**

His Sacred Gear's proclamation just barely made it time for him to carry Rias away from the blast radius, which happened to be the entire building behind him, several rows of buildings behind that, and about five or six buildings to either side as well.

"What the actual fuck! What the hell is he on!?"

"Issei, we need to forfeit. There's no way this is sanctioned."

Issei stared at his King incredulously.

"Oh no. Nuh uh. Not happening."

"Issei! Did you just see what he-"

"Oh yeah. Saw the big destruction ray of doom. Still not giving up."

"Issei! What-"

"I've got a plan. Well, technically Harry _had_ a plan, but I have to improvise slightly. It's not like he has a snake, after all."

Rias stared at her Pawn in incomprehension, wondering if insanity was contagious.

"Stay here, I got this."

"Issei, wait! What are you-"

He was gone the next second.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Alright. "Plan A: Kill the snake." was a no go. That would have normally meant "Plan B: Give up." That's what Harry had advised, after all. Just confirming the presence of illegal activity would be enough for the Satans to delay the contract. But, that was before all this had happened. Issei vaguely recalled Harry saying something in the very beginning about how the contract was going to activate at the end of the day. He had no idea if that meant it couldn't be delayed, but he wasn't going to take that chance. Especially not when his opponent had given him a nice, clear target for his aggression in place of ol' snakey.

That heart had to mean something. It was basically a big, fat weak point, like in a video game. If he hit it with everything he had and it did nothing, Issei would eat his Sacred Gear. He very pointedly ignored the complaints from Ddraig at being used that way in such a metaphor. He knew what he meant.

"Familiar summoning spell, familiar summoning spell, familiar summoning spell…"

With no small amount of dread, Issei realized he had forgotten the most important part of his plan to throw everything he had at the boss's weak spot.

 _Uhh. Ddraig. This is kinda awkward, but-_

 _ **IDIOT! MORON! HOW COULD YOU-**_

Mute engaged.

 _Right. Okay, stay calm. It's just like Harry said. Magic can do anything. It's all about focus and power. I don't need to know the spell. I just have to… want it to happen badly enough. Uh huh. Yeah… I'm so screwed._

Issei kicked himself mentally, even as he arrived back where he had left Diodora behind. Idly, he noted that his everything hurt pretty badly.

"Oh! You came back! Good boy! NOW ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

Rather than point the finger of doom this time, Diodora slashed at Issei with a nondescript sword.

Thanks to his enhanced senses, Issei was able to sidestep it easily. He marveled at the wonders of his Over Boosted state. And there was supposed to be something beyond this? He would train until he knocked himself out to unlock whatever was supposed to be better than slow-mo Superman. It'd be nice if he could feel his fingers and toes, though. And if he could see better. That black on the edge of his vision kinda got in the way.

Issei punched Diodora as hard as he could, which considering his current state, was pretty damn hard. The Pureblood Devil sailed through the air like he had been propelled out of a cannon, straight through several buildings.

"…Wicked," Issei commented. What was he doing again? Oh right. Big weak spot. Summon familiar. Sic it on big weak spot. What was the spell? Oh yeah. He forgot. Shit. Oh, Diodora Astaroth was back. He looked angry. FINGER OF DOOM, MOVE!

Issei strafed sideways hurriedly, and rammed through a building.

"Ow."

On the bright side, he avoided the death pointer.

Issei shook his head to clear his thoughts. It helped, slightly. His vision was still steadily growing darker, and he could no longer feel much of anything, but oddly, his mind was sharp.

 _Okay. Big, black heart. Dead center of chest. Need to summon familiar. It'll take care of everything for me. Dammit, Ddraig, help me out here!_

 _ **Oh, you feel like listening to me now? Well, GOOD!**_

The dragon's shout, which doubled as a roar, made his ears ring slightly.

 _ **Listen carefully, brat. There never was a familiar summoning spell. You asked the thing for one, and it told you how magic worked. You figured that when the time came, you'd want it badly enough to be able to do it. It's time to put your money where your mouth is.**_

Issei blinked dumbly. There was no spell?

 _ **How badly do you want to win?**_

 _Badly._

 _ **Really? It doesn't sound like it.**_

 _I want to win. Really bad._

Issei dodged another pointer finger of death, doom, and destruction, this time without throwing himself through a building.

 _ **That was pitiful. Now, tell me. DO YOU WANT TO WIN?**_

 _YES! YES, I want to win!_

 _ **Good! Now HOW are you going to win?**_

 _I'm gonna summon my goddamn familiar and make it TEAR THAT BASTARD'S HEART OUT!_

 _ **Really? Because from where I am, it sounds like you just THINK you want that to happen!**_

 _Fuck you! I want my familiar!_

 _ **Don't tell me, tell your familiar!**_

"I want my goddamn familiar, and I want him now!"

Issei's sudden shout startled the Devil in front of him, but didn't stop his sword swipe. He dodged it and punched Diodora through another wall. That was strangely therapeutic. Maybe he would invest in a punching bag? Or ask Rias to install one in the clubroom?

 _ **I don't think it heard you! Hell, I don't think that bastard Devil even heard you!**_

"I _said_ , 'I want my goddamn familiar, and I WANT HIM NOW!'"

 _ **Louder, brat! Is that all you've got?!**_

"I WANT MY FAMILIAR, AND I WANT HIM NOW!"

At this point, Diodora had actually paused to look at Issei with a puzzled expression.

 _ **I'VE HEARD DEAD PEOPLE SCREAM LOUDER THAN THAT!**_

"GODDAMMIT! FAMILIAR! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND TEAR THAT BASTARD'S HEART OUT!"

 _ **One last thing. Your familiar, does he have a name or not?**_

"FUCKING. GOD. DAMN. IT. MALFOY! COME HERE!"

His magic flared powerfully, a shockwave cascading outwards from his upraised hand as the barrier between this part of the Dimensional Gap and an adjacent one was broken. From the breach flew a small, black and white serpent no longer than Issei's forearm. When it alighted on his shoulder, Issei stared at it, baffled that his shouting had actually gotten results.

Then, Diodora Astaroth made his presence known by exploding the building the shockwave had thrown him into.

 _ **ARE YOU WAITING FOR AN INVITATION, BRAT?!**_

"Uh… RIGHT! Malfoy! Sic 'em!"

The little snake hissed in response, made a strange keening noise, then dove at the other Devil faster than Issei's eyes could follow, even with Over Boost active. It went without saying that the Devil who was the target of the familiar's attack had no chance of avoiding it. With unerring accuracy, the snake sank its small fangs into the black heart and began shaking its head back and forth. The heart's owner was thrashing wildly as well.

"AAAAAHHHHHRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!"

The inhuman scream that echoed from Diodora Astaroth's throat as the snake bit into the black heart at the center of his chest made Issei's ears bleed, but thankfully, he did not hear it for long. By the time the screams tapered off, the Boosted Gear wielder was already unconscious.

Rias arrived just in time to see the other King turn into dust. In his place was a small, innocent-looking snake. Soon, even that vanished, though Rias swore the way it just popped out of existence with the quietest of _cracks_ was familiar somehow. But, all of that left her mind when she saw the state her Pawn was in.

Issei was bleeding from both ears, his nose, his eyes, and just about everywhere it was generally accepted as being bad if you bled from. When she tried to pick him up, his limbs felt strangely soft and flexible where there should have been hard bone. Gently setting the boy back down, Rias screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Officiator! Officiators! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! HARRY!" She nearly broke into tears before she felt someone drape a cloak over her shoulders.

"It's okay, Rias. Leave it to me."

And then, she fainted as well.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Rias woke again, she was in the familiar infirmary of Kuoh Academy. She recognized the layout of the medicine cabinets and the scenery outside. It was night time. Slowly, she rose, causing the cloak that had been acting as a blanket to fall from its place tucked under her chin as well.

"This is…"

The cloak rippled of its own accord, startling Rias a bit.

"You're Harry-jiisan's cloak. Where is he?"

The cloak rippled some more, but of course the Devil heiress had no way of interpreting it. She smiled ruefully and knocked herself on the head with a silly gesture.

"Right. You're probably plenty smart, but the only person who can tell what you're saying is Harry. Sorry." The cloak deflated slightly, but perked up when Rias scooped it up in her arms carefully. She noticed she was still wearing her combat uniform, which was visually identical to her Kuoh Academy uniform except more durable. It was completely repaired, as the magic of the Rating Games usually did to damaged clothing.

Rias looked around and saw the curtains pulled around another bed. Curious, she opened them and found the sleeping body of her Pawn, Issei Hyoudou. She was about to reach out and check if he was really alive and well, but she was interrupted by the lights suddenly turning on.

"Eek!" She shrieked slightly and backed away from the bed, bumping against the wall.

"Good evening, Rias Gremory. It is good that you have awoken," the intimidating figure of Lord Orion spoke. He was not wearing his signature cloak over his armor for once.

"W-why is it good?"

"…Your next Rating Game was slated to start in just under an hour, but now that you are awake, it will begin immediately. It is another blitz match."

"What!? But my Peerage!"

"Irrelevant. Your opponent is operating under the same conditions as you, having just barely won her own Rating Game hours prior. She, too had the benefit of having her first opponent, your opponent for today, forfeit, and she, too has been informed of the early activation of the contract. The two of you will participate as you are, with the Peerage members available to you."

As he said that, Lord Orion waved his hand, and suddenly Rias found herself in a very familiar place. She was standing in her clubroom. Around her were Akeno, Yuuto, and Xenovia. Only Akeno looked like she was ready, while Yuuto looked absolutely haggard. Xenovia was only slightly better off than Yuuto, or perhaps better at hiding it.

"The match will take place here, in this replica of Kuoh Academy. As both of you were unconscious at the time of the… coin toss, it was decided that an equally-advantageous battlefield be made available to both of you for the sake of fairness. The Rating Game begins five minutes after I leave. I wish you the best of luck." With that, he was gone before Rias could even properly gather her bearings.

Another Rating Game? So soon? With barely half her Peerage? Her exhausted and overworked mind couldn't properly make sense of it all. But, one thing was clear. She had won the previous round. She had been victorious against Diodora Astaroth, despite whatever he had done to himself. So why was she still trapped in the contract?

"Rias, are you okay?" Akeno asked worriedly.

"I'm… I don't know."

"Rias-buchou, you need to focus. This is the final stretch. If you win here, you're free. It's what Issei-san fought for," Yuuto encouraged her.

"I… I understand. I will win."

"Good!" Xenovia exclaimed in her usual tone of voice, albeit ever so slightly less exuberantly. "It would not do for our King to not be fully-invested in our victory!"

"Right. Yeah. I have to win. Or else everything we've done so far will be for nothing," Rias said, her voice become more resolute with every sentence. "Yes. We will win. I'm counting on you guys to help me through this last battle!"

"HAI!"

" **The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri will commence in sixty seconds. Contestants are advised to make final preparations.** "

And just like that, her blood turned to ice. Somehow, it hadn't registered in her mind that the only way she would be fighting in a second Rating Game would be if Riser had lost. Somehow, she had completely forgotten about the sick situation she and her long-time rival found themselves in due to the politics of faction that had no business being in power.

"Get it together, Rias," Akeno chided. "Remember, you've already been over this."

 _I've… already been over this? Yes. Yes, I have._

"That's right. I decided. I will fight for my freedom, even if it means I have to fight Sona," she whispered the last part.

"Trust in Harry Potter, Rias Gremory! He is a reliable man!" Xenovia stated confidently.

 _Heh. That's right._

"Yeah. Yeah, he is. Alright, fine. Let's win this!"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

At the rate I'm going, we might actually see the end of this Arc by July. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Unlike in canon Rating Games, people are not retired upon unconsciousness. They must be dealt a debilitating or life-threatening injury, or else forfeit of their own free will. Since Rating Games are supposed to last for hours, this gives unconscious participants the chance to wake up and get back into the Game.

In the next update, the fun never stops! Non-stop action! We're actually surprised nobody has called us out yet on writing shitty action scenes! Pleasantly surprised, that is! In all seriousness, expect the unexpected. Major props to you if you can figure out what next chapter's title references before Sona's Interlude is released. For those who miss Harry, boy do we have a treat in store for you...


	15. RG6of7 Ch12 - Blind

**Chapter 12 – Blind**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Six of Seven)**

* * *

Sona sat at a familiar desk. Her desk, in the Student Council Room of Kuoh Academy. The scenery outside was the same as it usually was, except the sky was a kaleidoscope of colors and the world seemed to end slightly outside the boundaries of the wall-fence surrounding the school. Concrete gave way to open space, nothing but the void awaiting anyone who wandered out of bounds.

She sighed. The previous victory had cost her almost her entire Peerage. Tsubaki, her Queen, was the only one to escape relatively unscathed thanks to her Sacred Gear, but she was unlikely to be able to use it again anytime soon seeing as it had actually been shattered by Riser's final attack. Other than her, the only other combat-capable member of her Peerage had been her ever-durable Pawn, Saji.

Sona had no idea what had happened in Rias' match, but she had been told the results. Issei, hospitalized despite the magic of the Game, poisoned with some foreign energy. Gasper, still unconscious from accidentally overloading his Sacred Gear. Yuuto and Xenovia, both injured to an incredible degree during the Game, fully healed, but physically and mentally exhausted. Like her, Rias' Queen seemed to be the only one to survive without much injury, having been taken out cleanly without first being exhausted.

It was her, her Queen, and her Pawn, against Rias, her Queen, and both her Knights. The situation was anything but favorable for her. Her only consolation was that since her opponent didn't have any Pawns to take advantage of Promotion, she had no reason to defend her home base. It was a good thing her Queen was the Piece that she had available to her, rather than any combination of her other Pieces. Saji's overall value exceeded theirs, after all. Since her Queen was with her, Rias would only be able to detect her and Saji would be able to sneak into the Promotion Zone unimpeded if Rias' and her remaining Peerage could be distracted.

Sona knew what the optimal strategy was. Hold out. Stalemate was distinctly to her advantage if it triggered early, so she had no reason not to launch a long-range attack, then run and hide for sixty seconds. The extra five minutes was worth an early, risk-free Promotion. Then, with Saji as a Bishop, Knight, or Rook, the three of them could feasibly stall out the timer and force a draw, which was the equivalent of a loss for Rias.

She heard the clank of armor. A couple of seconds later, a familiar figure in solid black plate armor trimmed with gold stepped into the room. He looked around at the three Devils, who each met his gaze resolutely.

"Rias Gremory has awoken," he stated simply.

Sharp intakes of breath. Rias was awake earlier than planned.

"The Rating Game will start in five minutes. You have been advised."

"…I see. Thank you, Orion-sama," Sona said.

The armored man nodded, and turned back around to leave the way he came. He paused briefly.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

Saji had stepped forward.

"Orion-sama. The contract goes into effect at midnight, right?"

"That is correct."

"If Sona-kaichou, that is, if Sitri-sama wins or forces a draw, then it's her win, right?"

"She is released from the contract, yes."

"…If she loses, she will be forced to marry and conceive, right?"

"Do not waste my time with questions you already know the answers to."

Saji grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Leviathan-sama… is powerless to do anything. But, we were told that if, it came down to it… she would forfeit her position as a Satan in order to coerce the Council."

"I'm not hearing a question."

"Will you… Can you… do anything?"

"I told you not to waste my time."

"Right. I'm, I'm sorry, Orion-sama," Saji apologized dejectedly.

"If that is all…" Harry turned to leave again, but was stopped by a hand on his arm this time.

"No! Wait! I have one last question!"

"Unhand me."

Saji didn't listen. "I need to know! Do you think we have a chance?" His voice quieted. "Do you think I have any chance?"

Saji found the arm he was holding wrenched out of his grip. A second later, he was on the floor, having caught a gauntleted fist across his cheek. He stared at the armored man in front of him, trying to see through the helmet to the person he knew was wearing the armor.

"It is pointless to ask me that question. I am also not fond of repeating myself, Pawn of Sona Sitri. I have wasted enough time here; the match will begin shortly. I suggest you prepare yourselves." With that, the man walked out of the room, his cloak billowing out behind him before he was transported away.

"Saji…" Tsubaki started. She was about to reach out to help him off of the ground, but he got up before she could. Sona was silent. She had closed her eyes as soon as she had seen her Pawn step forward.

"It's okay. I'm okay," he said. Then, he smiled. "I needed that. Now I'm ready to win!"

His enthusiasm wasn't shared by the other two occupants of the room, but he refused to be deterred.

"So, what's the plan, Kaichou?"

He received no response. Sona didn't move. Tsubaki looked at her worriedly.

"Kaichou?"

"…The plan…" Sona started slowly, "The plan is to Stalemate. Tsubaki, I want you to launch an attack on the Occult Research Club and retreat immediately." She seemed to gain momentum as she spoke. "We will hide for the sixty seconds necessary to trigger Stalemate. Saji, you and I will be hidden in a classroom somewhere. Tsubaki, since they can track you, you need to find a way to avoid Rias' Knights for a full minute. Can you handle it?"

"Hai, Sona-kaichou," her Queen responded confidently.

"Good. After Stalemate triggers, Saji, I want you to Promote into whatever Piece you think will help the most at the time. You can't Jump or Castle yet, so don't worry about using their special abilities. If you can't pick one, go with Bishop."

"Hai! Wait, I thought we'd be together?"

"We will, but circumstances could change. If the two Knights are nearby, your best bet is either Bishop for your ice magic to help you drain them or Rook to increase your durability to outlast them. If Akeno is close, you'll definitely want Bishop for the increased magical resistance or Knight to get close enough to use your Sacred Gear on her. Use your judgment; I trust you've learned enough tactics for it."

"I see. Got it!" Saji confirmed. "I won't let you down!"

"Mm."

" **The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri will commence in sixty seconds. Contestants are advised to make final preparations.** "

The three Devils looked at each other and nodded.

"Before we begin, I have one last order for the two of you," Sona said.

"Oh, I also have a request," Tsubaki interjected.

"Oh? You first, then."

"Thank you, Kaichou. I would like to request to take on the Knights if at all possible."

Sona looked Tsubaki in the eye and the two of them communicated their intentions mentally.

"…I see. I guess we all have our reasons for fighting, don't we? Fine. Saji, you and I will handle Rias and Akeno. Are you up for it?"

Saji wasn't quite sure what the two girls had said to each other when they locked eyes, but he wasn't about to pry. Plus, Sona was counting on him!

"Absolutely, Kaichou!"

Sona chuckled. "Good. I'll need your energy and confidence moving forward."

Not we. I. She hadn't said that the team would need him, or that Tsubaki and she would need him, Sona had said that _she_ would need him. He was more than happy to oblige, and he firmed his resolve.

"What was your last order?" Tsubaki asked.

"…When the time comes, I want to face Rias alone."

"But Kaichou…"

"No, Saji."

"I'm okay with it, if there's an opportunity. I won't let you risk yourself unnecessarily, Sona."

"It's okay, Tsubaki. The time will come. I know it will."

Her two Peerage members looked at her in confusion.

"After all, she needs this as much as I do."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"That's probably her plan," Rias finished saying. "Unfortunately, we can't do much to stop her if she tries."

Her two Knights had pained expressions on their faces. Both had previously admitted to being unable to operate at full capacity. This wouldn't have been a problem normally, as their enhanced speed would still make it feasible for them to catch up to Sona's Queen, but the damning part was that Xenovia did not know how to fly properly, and Yuuto was suffering from phantom pain from his healed-over leg wound, which would hamper his ground movement. Together, this meant that Tsubaki merely had to lose Xenovia in the air around the academy then avoid Yuuto by entering the academy itself, forcing him to pursue on foot in the narrow hallways.

"So, we should have Yuuto-kun and Xenovia-san conserve their energy?" Akeno asked.

"Yes. The timer on Stalemate doesn't start until they attack again, so they have to come to us eventually. Sona doesn't have anyone like Issei-kun on her team, who can keep becoming more powerful over time, so it does her no good to stall any further."

Since being deposited in her home base for the Game, Rias had been briefed by her Peerage on her opponents. She had initially been hopeful when she heard Sona only had her Queen and Pawn available, but that hope had quickly been tempered when she realized Sona still had her Pawn, and the rules of a blitz match favored her.

"What's preventing her from using hit-and-run tactics the entire Game?"

Rias turned to face her Knight, who had posed the question.

"She won't. I know her. She'll face me fair-and-square, head-on. Or at least, she'll face me directly. I'm sure she'll do everything she can to stack the odds in her favor before that, but in the end she won't shy away from confrontation."

"I hope you're right," Yuuto said uneasily.

"It matters not," Xenovia added. "If Sona Sitri will not face us in direct combat, we can still hunt down her down as a group. It is to her detriment if Stalemate triggers successively, is it not?"

"Yeah. Since Stalemate reveals everyone, she can't hide," Rias confirmed. "I only wish we had Issei with us. He didn't get to use his new ability in the last match, but his Half-Castling would have been very helpful here…"

Everyone else looked away guiltily when they were reminded of the currently comatose Pawn.

"He'll be fine, Rias," Akeno assured her King. "He's strong. And besides, Harry got to him, remember?"

"…Right. Yeah. There's no way he won't recover if Harry-jiisan's there helping out."

The confidence returned to Rias' voice.

"Okay. You all know the plan?"

She got three positive responses.

"Then let's do this."

" **The Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri will commence in sixty seconds. Contestants are advised to make final preparations** ," a female voice said firmly.

"…Is that Grayfia?" Rias asked after hearing the announcement.

"Harry's busy with Issei, after all," Akeno remarked.

"Weren't the other two officiators Sirzechs-nii and Ajuka-sama?"

"Is it possible they were called away?" Yuuto wondered.

"Irrelevant," Xenovia interjected. "Ours is not to question the business of the officiators. We are here to win a Rating Game, are we not?"

That got the other three people to refocus.

"Right. It doesn't matter right now," Rias said. "Is everyone ready? Yuuto? Akeno? Xenovia?"

Again, her three Peerage members responded in the positive.

"Good. Remember your roles. Leave Sona to me."

"Hai, Buchou!" "Yes, Rias." "Understood!"

" **Contestants, on my mark. Let the Rating Game begin!** "

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Saji waited patiently alongside his King in an empty classroom. Outside, he could barely hear the sounds of magic being fired back and forth. The classroom shook slightly when one of the beams impacted the exterior wall of the school nearby. He looked at Sona, whose face was the very picture of calm and collected. If she could stay calm, he could too. Maybe a few deep breaths would help?

"Saji?"

"GAH!"

He was quickly shushed. Luckily, the room had a minor silencing ward around it.

"Let's try this again. Saji?"

"Y-yes, Kaichou?"

"I… I want you to promise me something, Saji."

"Anything, Sona-kaichou!"

Sona began fidgeting. It was so unlike her that Saji became worried.

"Kaichou? Is something wrong?"

"No! No. It's just, I want you to promise me, Saji, that you will forget about anything you hear during this Game. And never mention it to anybody else."

Her face didn't look any more serious than usual, but Saji could tell by her voice that it was something important. He had a pretty good idea of what it was, too. His conversation with Harry about a week ago had opened his eyes.

"I promise. But, I want you to promise me something too, Sona-kaichou."

"Hm?"

"When you fight Gremory-san, I want you to promise me that you won't lie."

Sona inhaled sharply, before she sighed.

"Harry… told you, didn't he? He meddles too much."

"No! I mean, yeah we talked, but no, he didn't actually tell me anything. He just said that if you ended up winning, and if you fought Gremory-san alone, you'd… say things that I needed to hear. Things that I might not want to hear, but that I'd need to hear anyway."

"That's…"

"I think I know what he meant already. I may be pretty thick sometimes, but even I can tell when it's as obvious as, well, y'know?"

Sona blushed. "I-is it really that obvious?"

"Yeah. I mean… you get along with him really _really_ well."

She blushed harder. "S-saji…"

"I mean, I'd love to have a big brother like Harry-san! He's amazing!"

"Huh?" Sona's confused expression was missed by her conversation partner.

"He can do all sorts of things! Like clone himself! And teleport anywhere! I bet he has magic that turns him invisible or makes him totally badass and unbeatable and stuff!"

"…Saji, what are you talking about?"

Now it was Saji's turn to be confused.

"You weren't talking about how jealous you were of him? I thought for sure all those times you looked at him and turned red, you were getting angry with how cheatsy his whole existence is. I mean, seriously! How can one guy do all the stuff that he does? It's like he's some sorta demigod!"

"Saji."

The boy grinned. "Don't worry, Kaichou! Once we're done here, I'll help you convince him to teach you all his tricks! And maybe lend you that necklace of his! Oh, and-"

"Saji, thank you."

"Awhuh?"

"Thank you for trying, Saji. But real life isn't that nice."

Saji's bright demeanor dimmed. He continued speaking, still smiling.

"Don't worry, Sona-kaichou. I promised you, remember? Just… promise me you won't lie to her. Or yourself."

It had long since become silent outside. The two Devils looked at each other, Saji wearing a sad smile and Sona smiling sadly in return.

"…Thanks, Saji. I promise, too."

" **Stalemate conditions have been activated due to lack of combat**."

They nodded at each other.

"Well, that's our cue," Sona said. "Are you ready?"

"You bet I am, Kaichou! And I've got a surprise for you!" Saji replied excitedly. He summoned his Sacred Gear, the armor covering both his hands and his feet like they had in the previous Rating Game. "I've been saving this! Check this out, the results of my hard work! Promotion! Queen!"

Sona watched in surprise as her Pawn was covered by the light of Promotion. She felt his presence grow significantly as the magic of the Game enhanced his abilities far beyond what his Pawn Piece gave him. When the light dissipated, Saji stood there, grinning, his hand held up in the same pose he had assumed a second ago. In the palms of his raised hand, Vritra's deadly black fire burned. He clenched it shut into a fist in front of his chest, and the fire went out.

"Let's kick some ass, Kaichou!"

Sona smiled, this time with a hint of viciousness.

"Yes, let's. Oh, and Saji?"

"Yes, Kaichou?"

"After this game, I expect you to call me Sona."

Saji blinked. Then he blinked again.

"Y-you mean it?"

Rather than respond, Sona turned and walked towards the nearest door without looking back. She was trying to hide the blush that was now threatening to cover her face. Behind her, her Pawn stood still, blinking stupidly at her retreating form. He snapped out of it just as she reached one of the doors to the classroom.

"Oh! Wait! Wait for me!" he shouted as he ran after her. She opened the door and walked outside, turning to begin running down one of the hallways. When he saw that the direction she was running in led them towards the Occult Research Club, he grinned even wider.

"Yooooooooosh! Let's do this!"

Together, King and Pawn made their way towards the enemy base, where Sona had sensed all four of her opponents.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"As expected."

"Mhm."

"All three of them are coming this way."

"I guess that means it's time to get started for real."

The four members of team Rias stood outside the door of the Occult Research Club. The forest around them did nothing to hide the three magical signatures headed towards them, two from within the school and the third from the right of the main building.

Yuuto tested his leg. His conscious mind knew the pain wasn't real, but his unconscious mind didn't seem to agree. Aerial combat wasn't exactly his forte, but he'd make do. He had no choice. With a thought, Holy Eraser sprouted from the ground. He drew the sword and mentally commanded his wings to show themselves. Another thought, and he was airborne, floating slightly off the ground. Next to him, Xenovia readied Durandal. The two of them nodded to each other before addressing Rias.

"We're off, Buchou."

"I will return victorious!"

Rias nodded and wished them both luck. They departed, Yuuto flying over the trees with Xenovia following his path from below, in the direction of the lone magical signature.

"I won't ask you to change your mind, Rias, because I know that'd be useless."

The redhead didn't respond.

"I will not, however, let you give this anything less than your best."

"I know, Akeno. I'll give it my all."

"That's what you say, but I know you've thought of it. Sona's would-be fiancé is dead. If you win, she'll be forced to marry whomever the Council chooses."

Rias' only reaction was a slight wince, but her Queen didn't miss it.

"No. You promised yourself, and you promised us. Not only us, but Issei and Gasper, and Harry too."

"I said, 'I know'!" Akeno was silent. Rias calmed down immediately. "I know."

"…Good. Then, I'm ready when you are."

"Right. Let's go." The resolve in her voice was back.

The two of them, King and Queen, both let their wings burst from their back, and flew off in tandem towards Kuoh Academy.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Predictably, Yuuto and Xenovia, being Knights, made it to their target first.

"Hah! What's wrong, Yuuto Kiba? I am on foot, and yet I still beat you here!"

"We found her at the exact same time," was the exasperated reply.

Tsubaki looked at the two of them, blonde teenage Knight and blue-haired teenage also Knight, and found her anger building. She was quick to temper it, though. Now was not the time to lose focus of the overall objective. Even if the opposing King likely wanted the same one-on-one confrontation as her King did, there was no reason to leave it to chance. She readied her naginata.

"Are you two finished?" she called out, getting their attention.

"Ah, where are my manners. I apologize, Tsubaki-san." Her heart beat ever so slightly faster when he said her name.

"Hmph. Interrupting our conversation was rather rude of you." Tsubaki had heard from various people that Rias' new Knight tended to be condescending, but she was somehow even more condescending than the Queen expected her to be.

Tsubaki's attention was drawn to the sword the other girl was holding. So that was Durandal?

"Using a Holy Sword in a Rating Game seems rather unfair, don't you think?"

"What is so unfair about using all of the tools at my disposal? As I understand it, both Yuuto Kiba and you, Tsubaki Shinra, own Sacred Gears, do you not? Consider this," Xenovia said as she hefted the giant blade and pointed it at the Queen, "my answer to that."

Tsubaki tightened her grip on her weapon when Durandal was pointed at her. She could feel some sort of invisible pressure emanating from the blade. She relaxed slightly when Yuuto got the former Exorcist's attention, causing her to lower the Holy Sword.

"She has a point, Xenovia. Holy Swords are inherently lethal to us Devils. Perhaps you should consider using the spare sword you keep? I could also lend you one if you want?" Yuuto offered. "I know you can use some of Durandal's abilities without actually holding it."

He was content with letting the Queen stall. The whole point of them being here was to keep her here as well, after all. Akeno, being the closest to perfect condition on Rias' Peerage, would have no trouble keeping Sona's Pawn at bay. Of the two Kings, Rias was supposed to be in much better condition, as Sona had supposedly taken a nasty hit towards the end of her previous match with Riser, so if all went well, the match would be theirs so long as nobody interfered.

Tsubaki bit her lip. One cut from that Holy Sword and she was essentially done for. She analyzed her options while her two opponents continued talking to each other, resisting the urge to bite harder when she saw the ease with which they conversed, as if they'd known each other for years. Meanwhile, she, the one who had _actually_ known Yuuto for years, was stuck on fighting against him instead of for him. She somehow doubted he would be open to talking with her, and even if he was, his partner was definitely the combative type.

Tsubaki knew Yuuto much preferred grounded combat. Excelled at it, compared to his skills in the air. That he was flying instead of standing on the ground suggested that he was either the better flier of the two of them and was supposed to prevent her from taking to the air, or he could not fight on the ground for some reason. Seeing as the other Knight was newly-reincarnated, Tsubaki was willing to bet on both options. And since the Knight with the Holy Sword was on the ground, there was really no other choice. As a bonus, Yuuto had yet to demonstrate the ability to create swords in midair.

Aerial combat it was, then. Her course of action decided, Tsubaki began her ascent suddenly, aiming to put as much distance between her and the blue-haired Knight as possible. Her two opponents reacted immediately.

"Oh no you don't!" Yuuto shouted as he went after her.

"Coward! Cheat! Come back here and face me like a man!" Xenovia shouted.

Both Tsubaki and Yuuto had a similar thought in that moment.

 _But I'm/she's not a man…_

When Tsubaki reached what she felt like was a safe enough distance, which happened to be several meters above the roof of the academy, she stopped and let Yuuto catch up to her.

"Oh?" Yuuto asked when he stopped, a short distance away. "You aren't running anymore?" Unbeknownst to the Queen, Yuuto's thoughts mimicked hers from just seconds earlier.

 _Even if Sona-san wants to force a confrontation, that doesn't mean her Peerage feels the same. No reason to leave this to chance._

The two opposing Peerage members locked eyes for a moment. On some unspoken signal, the fight began.

Yuuto lunged with Holy Eraser, but missed when Tsubaki maneuvered herself to the side. On his way past, she twirled her naginata and attempted to stab him. She found herself parried by a second, shorter blade he had drawn from a hidden sheathe. Even in the air, Yuuto still managed to retain some of his sword skills. The second blade flashed, cutting a narrow gash in Tsubaki's uniform, but otherwise not doing any actual damage to her. Her naginata sped through the air in response, blowing him away as he blocked it with Holy Eraser.

The two of them were once again separated by a few meters. Close enough for an attack with their speed, but far enough that each would be able to defend against anything the other could do. Yuuto was once again the first to act. This time, he opted for a slash. Tsubaki began spinning her naginata again, but was caught off-guard when it turned out to be a feint. Her opponent had sheathed his second blade, drawing yet another hidden weapon, this one a small dagger, and throwing it at her point-blank. She just barely managed to deflect it, but was left unprepared for the follow-up attack from his main sword.

"Shield!" she cried. A translucent purple layer of magic redirected the blow that would have badly injured one of her arms. As she watched Yuuto's strike glance off, she capitalized on his awkward midair positioning by maneuvering behind him and slashing with her naginata. Her own movement prevented her from putting much force behind the blow, but it was enough to leave a bloody line on Yuuto's back.

"Gh!"

Righting himself quickly, Yuuto wasted no time in tossing two more daggers in quick succession, followed by Holy Eraser itself and the blade he had sheathed again earlier. All four of them were deflected, though the extra weight of his favored weapon disrupted Tsubaki's flowing motions with hers. Before the fourth weapon reached her, charged at her with two new daggers in hand, ready to throw.

Tsubaki hurriedly moved out of the way of the final thrown weapon, but was met with two more, which she was forced to deflect awkwardly, holding her weapon still rather than spinning it around. She had no time to react when Yuuto's body rammed into hers with a surprising amount of force, sending her backwards several meters before she could regain control of her flight.

"Kya!"

" **Balance Break!** "

Yuuto raised Unified Will above his head and swung several times, sending blades of wind at the stunned form of his opponent. The first couple tore into her clothing and the skin underneath before she regained control and began avoiding them. Giving up on hitting her from afar, he tossed his sword at her.

Tsubaki's eyes widened when she saw the Knight toss his weapon at her _again_. Was he trying to be funny? Despite the speed at which it was traveling, Yuuto was too far from her to make his thrown weapon unavoidable. She tried to move out of the way, but found herself flying more slowly than usual, getting slower the closer the sword got.

 _I'm… being pulled? It has a gravity field?!_

The Queen fought desperately to escape the powerful gravity centered on the sword. She was well out of its path when it passed through her previous position, but her efforts to avoid it left her wide open for another full-body tackle from Yuuto.

"Kyaa!"

For the second time, Tsubaki was thrown backwards without control over her own flight. This time, she found herself drawn to something. She looked behind her and saw the sword stuck in the roof of the school. At that moment, the door to the roof was kicked open.

"TSUBAKI SHINRA! I challenge youuuoh!?"

The blue-haired girl found her body being dragged towards the sword which she recognized as belonging to her rival. She also saw her opponent flying backwards through the air towards the roof. Making a split-second decision, Xenovia let go of the door and jumped, letting the sword drag her forward through the air as she executed a downward slash with Durandal. Unfortunately for her, Tsubaki had enough presence of mind to stab her weapon into the roof when she got close enough, halting her momentum short of the other girl's attack range.

Xenovia clicked her tongue in annoyance as her blade impacted the roof, throwing debris everywhere.

"Break!" Tsubaki shouted while pointing at the roof beneath the new arrival.

Xenovia had just enough time to stare at the Queen in confusion before the entire roof crumbled to pieces underneath her feet. Her surprised yelp was swallowed by the noise of cement and building material crashing down on the floor below. Just for good measure, Tsubaki cast the spell on the floor below as well.

"She's not going to be happy about that," Yuuto commented as he neared her. His sword had remained floating in midair when the roof was destroyed, and now returned to his hand.

"Sona-kaichou will understand. It's just a copy, after all," Tsubaki answered primly.

"…I was talking about Xenovia."

"I don't see why her opinion should matter to me."

Yuuto chuckled.

"Point, I suppose. Still, I get the feeling you… dislike her for some reason. Care to share?"

Tsubaki looked at her crush blankly. The blonde met her stare curiously.

"…You're imagining things, Yuuto-kun."

"…If you say so. Now, where were we?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Saji spared a glance at the top of the academy. That had sounded distinctly like someone had caved in the roof. He knew because about two and a half years ago, the roof had actually been destroyed on accident by Lucifer-sama when he had heard someone tried to perv on his little sister. Saji had been in the Student Council Room and had a front-row seat to the sight of the Crimson Satan getting read the riot act by his maid-slash-wife.

His attention was returned to the battle when a lightning bolt impacted his chest and shocked him slightly.

"Ghghgh."

He wondered what it felt like to actually get hit by lightning. With the amount of resistance his body had built up to electricity in the past ten minutes or so, he'd probably survive it just fine. How cool would it be to be able to say you were hit by lightning and shrugged it off like a total badass?

"Ara ara, you shouldn't ignore a lady like that, Saji-kun." The Pawn gulped as he looked at the angry Queen floating in the air. Somehow, she looked even angrier than she had earlier. "I think naughty boys like you deserve _extra_ special treatment." She punctuated her words by crafting the biggest bolt of lightning Saji had ever seen in his life. He was almost positive she was ripping off Zeus. It was also possible that she was secretly the daughter of the Greek god.

"H-Himejima-senpai, I told you, it was an honest accident! Really!"

"Fufufu, silly boy. I'm not mad at you for that anymore. We're supposed to be fighting anyway, no? I'm just a little more motivated, is all!" She was smiling, but her smile held no warmth. It was chilling. The effect was somehow amplified by the fact that she was half-naked, wearing a cloth wrap around her chest that she had conjured earlier.

Saji's first instinct when he and Sona had met Akeno and Rias was to try and tag one of them with Absorption Line. Shooting two tongue-like appendages out, he had been surprised when the Queen had actually grabbed on to one, while the other was disintegrated by the Power of Destruction. He had then proceeded to be shocked by several hundred volts of electricity until he forcefully disengaged the ability.

In their first magical exchange afterwards, Saji had used his newly-acquired Blaze Black Flare, the second of four abilities the dragon, Vritra, sealed in his Sacred Gear, granted him. He had failed spectacularly and nearly burnt a good portion of the miniature forest down when he missed. Conversely, the Queen's instant lightning bolt had caught him in the chest and shocked him quite badly through his Queen-granted magical resistance.

Not one to give up, he had closed the distance, and, with the help of some ice magic, stopped his opponent long enough to land a hit, this time a textbook punch that had caught his target in the stomach and blown them away. He followed diligently, leaving the two Kings to their own fight.

When he found Akeno patiently waiting for him, he had wasted no time in using Blaze Black Flare the way it was meant to be used. Saji set everything in sight on fire in a sea of black flames. It had actually been very impressive, in his opinion. Unfortunately, he had not counted on his attack being able to burn through the magically-resistant combat clothing the Queen wore. When the flames subsided, the top half of her miko outfit was mostly gone. She had not been wearing a bra.

The next several minutes had been spent running for dear life as the outraged Devil rained lightning on him like she was a localized thunderstorm and he a portable lightning rod. It was only thanks to his boosted magic resistance that he had not yet been taken out of the Game. Even then, he was not entirely sure he would survive their next encounter at school if he did not do something to apologize properly.

Which was how Saji now found himself frantically backpedaling in the face of a lightning bolt he was sure would impress the King of Olympus. The sinister giggling was also very unnerving.

"Himejima-senpai! I sincerely apologize! Please forgive me!" he said while bowing his head.

"Ara, didn't you hear me, Saji-kun? You're forgiven! Now please be a dear and _stay still_!"

Saji yelped in alarm as he saw the Queen preparing to toss the lightning bolt of doom, which had now grown to be bigger than he was. Seeing no real other option, the Pawn braced himself and called out.

"Absorption Line!"

Thanks to their close proximity, his Sacred Gear attached itself to Akeno in moments. The draining process began soon after. As expected, Saji began convulsing slightly as the lightning energy coursed through him. He knew in his mind that the energy was actually helping him more than it was hurting him, if it was really hurting him at all. He usually experienced different sensations depending on what type of energy he drained. The one time the Satan Leviathan had allowed him to test his Sacred Gear on her, he had begun shivering badly.

"You're so silly, Saji-kun. All I have to do now is something like this!"

Akeno brought the fluctuating tip of her lightning bolt down to the line connecting her with the Pawn. Said Pawn's convulsions became more severe as the electricity traveled down the length of his Sacred Gear's appendage like they had earlier when he had first tried using Absorption Line on her. Unlike last time, he refused to break the connection.

"Oh?"

Akeno looked at the boy with interest. She could feel herself getting weaker, but also saw that the teenage boy in front of her was also close to unconsciousness.

"I suppose this is an acceptable outcome," she mused as she sat down.

Saji was too far gone to understand what Akeno was saying. His body was struggling to keep functioning with the amount of voltage he had just taken from the bolt of lightning. But, he would hold on. Hold on until he was sure his chosen opponent would not be able to make it back to where his King was fighting hers.

By the time Saji fell unconscious after he stopped draining her, Akeno had managed to conjure two pillows, some blankets, and move half of what she conjured under the Pawn's feet. Harry's spells were so useful! She then watched from her position lying on top of her blankets and pillow as the boy dropped into his own comfortable pile of bedding, before letting unconsciousness take her as well.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Rias spent the first five minutes of her fight with Sona staring at the Student Council President searchingly, half-heartedly destroying the various icy implements the other King threw at her and retaliating with blasts of her trademark Power of Destruction. The sky above the academy had flashed while they were trading spells, signaling the end of the Stalemate, but still neither of them had spoken a word since their Peerage members had left.

Currently, they were both mostly uninjured, if a bit tired from running around. There had been a close call when a piece of the roof had nearly fallen on their heads, but other than that neither of them had managed to score a decent hit. The environment showed signs of their magical duel, craters littering the ground here and there around Sona and patches of ice all over the place surrounding Rias.

The redhead was actually slightly perplexed. Her rival had shown no signs of fatigue or residual trauma from her previous Game, even though Yuuto had said that Riser's kamikaze attack should have dealt her significant damage. Even now, she was still shooting ice spears at her with sharp focus and the same impeccable accuracy she usually demonstrated in their spars. Rias was forced to create a shield from her clan's demonic power when she found herself boxed in by four such spears launched at her at once. The spears shattered against her Power of Destruction, but instead of fully disintegrating, shards of ice made it through, leaving small cuts along her uniform and exposed skin.

Deciding the situation would become more untenable the longer she let the other King control the pace of the battle Rias gathered her energy and released it in an outward flare. The explosion removed all of the lingering ice from her opponent, also destroying the two spears she had readied in the process. Sona crouched and attempted to ice the ground under Rias again, but the other girl put a stop to that by stomping her foot forcefully, sending another pulse of energy through the ground. It wasn't true counter magic, but her Power of Destruction had the handy property of destroying most other forms of energy it came into contact with, allowing her to use it as a more costly alternative.

For the umpteenth time since their fight began, the two Kings were left staring at each other in silence. Sona's frown became more severe when she saw her rival's hesitation to escalate their conflict.

"What are you fighting for, Rias?" she called out, orbs of water condensing in the air around her.

Rias was taken aback by the sudden question, but wasted no time in coating her hands with her demonic powers in preparation to defend against the coming assault.

"What are you talking about? I'm fighting for my freedom! Aren't you the same?"

"…Your freedom."

The orbs of water shot out. From experience, Rias knew that they would freeze whatever they hit on contact, which meant that she needed to actually avoid them altogether or, as she was currently doing, bat them aside with the Power of Destruction. After the last orb was destroyed, she gathered the remaining energy coating her hands and fired it as two separate blasts. To her disappointment, a wall of water blocked the first, while Sona had used the cover of the steam the collision generated to escape the second.

Rias blinked in shock when she saw her rival again, surrounded by amorphous, four-legged animals made from water. There were eight of them in all. She vaguely recognized their form as resembling that of dogs or wolves. Their claws and teeth were made of ice. How had she created them so fast? She summoned her powers to her again, the familiar black and red energy coursing along her fingertips. The two Kings paused, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"If you lose, Rias, you end up with Riser, if temporarily," Sona said. "Since Diodora Astaroth is dead, if I lose, I am at the mercy of the Council."

"I won't apologize for killing him," Rias responded.

"I know. I don't want you to either. From what I heard, he deserved it."

"Then what?"

Sona paused, and for a brief moment Rias tensed, expecting the order for the animals to attack.

"If I lose, my sister will block the contract. She will coerce the rest of the Council into dropping it, and the other Satans will be forced to retaliate or risk Devil society splintering. The Purebloods still have too much power."

Rias bit her lip.

"Are you asking me to surrender?"

"I'm telling you the stakes."

A mental command caused a couple of the water wolves to charge at Rias. The redhead punched one into nonexistence when it came into range, and fired a blast from her other hand that disintegrated the other when it tried to circle around her.

"I know the stakes!" she shouted.

"Then why are you fighting?!"

"Because I refuse to give up my freedom to love!"

"You have no idea what you're fighting for!"

The angry and bitter retort startled her. It sounded like Sona was close to tears. Rias was about to ask her rival what she meant, but she was forced to defend herself as the remainder of the pack of conjured wolves charged at her. The first was dispatched easily, the second and third caught by blasts from her hands. The fourth bit into her thigh before she smashed its body to pieces. The fifth and sixth each latched on to one of her arms, and it was only another discharge of her Power of Destruction that saved her from losing access to them.

"What… what do you mean?"

"Have you ever loved someone, Rias? Do you know what it means to fight for a hopeless cause?"

As she spoke, the air around the King grew heavier. Rias had no idea where her rival was getting her power from, but it was highly unlikely she would be able to keep it up. There was plenty of time left in the match, so if she could only outlast her…

"I don't," Rias replied. "I don't, but that doesn't mean I won't fight for it all the same!"

"You… you're so… lucky."

Again, Rias was startled by the amount of emotion she could hear.

"You don't know what it's like," Sona said, her voice breaking slightly. Water began gathering along her body, hardening until it formed a layer of ice as armor. The ice stopped its progress when it reached her neck.

"Sona?"

"I need this, Rias. I need to prove to myself that I can. So I'll ask you again. What do you fight for?"

The seriousness in her voice did nothing to deter Rias, her mind set. Seeing her rival assume what she recognized as one of the signature magical spells of the Sitri family, altered by Serafall after she became the Satan Leviathan, Rias likewise called upon as much of her remaining reserves as she could, covering herself in a layer of black and red.

"I fight for my freedom! I may not know what it's like to love, but when I do find someone, I will love him knowing that I will be able to give my everything to him!" she said confidently.

"Good. Then let me tell you what I fight for."

Water covered Sona's head, distorting her voice slightly before it too hardened into a helmet of ice. She proved that the ice was indeed magical when she lowered her center of gravity without the sound of ice cracking or breaking. A spear materialized in her hands, which she pointed at Rias. From within her helmet, Sona's voice sounded out clearly across the short distance that separated the two Kings.

"I have someone I love, Rias. When I fight, I fight for him. This time, I won't lose."

At her feet a thin layer of frost spread outwards quickly. Soon, the ground for several meters in every direction was covered in white. Rias had to project her power like an aura to keep herself from being frozen as well. The world seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them.

"I'll prove myself. To you, to her, and to him. I'll prove to everyone… that I'm not helpless!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Devil High Council was in a state of total disarray. An emergency meeting had been called only an hour prior, and since then, what had initially been confusion had quickly devolved into absolute chaos as more and more information was revealed. Even though not even half the Council had assembled, the amount of noise made it seem as if the room was filled. Men and women were screaming left and right about violations of Pureblood tradition, heresy against ancestors, and a bevy of other offenses the people standing in the center of the meeting chamber had committed.

Said people consisted of Lord Orion, dressed in his usual black and gold armor, Serafall Leviathan, for once dressed in the formal robes of her station rather than her magical girl outfit, Ajuka Beelzebub, wearing a tuxedo embroidered with the crest of the Astaroth family on one sleeve and the Beelzebub crest on the other, and Griselda Quarta, wearing her traditional Exorcist clothing and smiling peacefully.

Sirzechs Lucifer, dressed in his ceremonial crimson and gold armor, and Falbium Asmodeus, dressed in equally formal wear with his bald head in his hands, sat at their usual places at the head of the High Council. Grayfia Lucifuge could usually be found standing behind her husband, but had stayed behind when it turned out Rias had woken up earlier than anticipated.

"This cannot stand!" one of the Pureblood Devils raged, repeating himself for what must have been the tenth time in the past few minutes since the news had been revealed. He was one of the many public Pureblood supporters present. In fact, every other Council member sitting or standing in the chamber was part of the Pureblood Faction, either in public or as a secret supporter. Curiously, not a single non-Pureblood supporter had made it to the meeting, but all of the Devils were too busy being outraged to notice this detail.

"So you've said," Falbium replied without looking at him. "If you come up with an actual, actionable complaint, do share. Until then, shut up and stop giving me a headache."

The man spluttered indignantly and somehow gained another shade of red to his face.

"Surely, you do not intend to let them get away with this!" he tried again, pointing rudely at the four individuals standing calmly amongst the angrily buzzing Council members. "This is a breach of contract! Against the law!"

"What contract? What law?" Falbium asked lazily, but with a hint of annoyance. "I haven't heard any of you say a damn thing worth listening to since I got here. They've got marriage contracts. All the signatories agreed. End of fucking story. Make a valid statement, or I'm calling for us to adjourn." Sirzechs was content to let his fellow Satan talk for now, since he himself was the subject of a marriage contract. A female Devil was the next to try and sway them.

"Lord Lucifer, the Crimson Satan, was an exception to the rules due to his marriage contract having been penned prior to the conclusion of the Civil War and thus before our current laws came into effect," she began. This left out the fact that Sirzechs himself was too politically powerful to act against either in public or in secret, and his personal power was such that it would have been impossible to bully him into submission without the help of the only other potential Super Devil, Ajuka, who was also his oldest and best friend. "This is different. The Satans are the prime role models to Devils everywhere? What would they think if they found out that one had been contracted to marry some no-name Magician, and another married a reincarnated Angel, of all things?"

Ajuka's eyes narrowed.

"I'll thank you not to address my future wife in such a way," he stated dangerously, letting the power he usually hid leak out slightly. The rare display of force from the calculating Devil was enough to make the woman apologize profusely.

"B-be that as it may, m-my point still stands!" she said quickly, wanting to finish talking so she was no longer the subject of staring from both the Satan Beelzebub and the famed Exorcist Griselda Quarta. She didn't put it past the other woman to be able to kill her from her spot in the center of the room before anyone could stop her, especially with help from the Excalibur shard at her hip.

"I'm still not hearing an actual law."

"Milord Asmodeus," another Devil said diplomatically, "such things are not legislated, but are accepted as common sense. Adhering to these principles keeps Devil society united in purpose."

"Accepted by whom, exactly?" Lord Orion spoke up. "You? Your fellow Councilmen?"

"By Devils as a whole, Lord Orion," the Devil said smoothly. The armored man scoffed.

"You contradict yourself. Are not all four of your leaders standing before us in opposition? The Satan Lucifer, by your own admission, is an exception to the rule."

"The Lady Lucifuge is a Pureblood Devil part of a prestigious family!"

"You would consider an Extra prestigious?"

Orion's question shocked the rest of the room into silence. As one, the gathered Council members turned to look at Sirzechs expectantly. The man's expression was neutral, but he was releasing enough of his power to make the atmosphere feel oppressive.

"Lord Orion, do you perhaps have something you would like to say to me?" he asked.

The room turned back to look at the man in armor, who stood unflinching in the face of the power of a Super Devil. To many, this only cemented the fact that Lord Orion's title was well-earned. Only a Tyrant could possibly remain fearless in the face of assured destruction.

"I merely stated fact."

"I advise you to be more careful of your… facts in the future. The truth, as they say, can hurt."

"I'll take that into consideration."

Just like that, the invisible pressure was lifted, and the other, less powerful Devils let out a collective breath most hadn't realized they'd been holding in. In the silence, Falbium was quick to remind the others of his disdain for meetings.

"It's been almost half an hour now, and so far all you've all accomplished is wasting my time," he drawled. "You have the next sixty seconds to convince me to stay awake."

"L-Lord Asmodeus! And Lord Lucifer!" a Devil hurriedly said. "Surely, you can see the trouble this will cause in the future? Devil society will riot!"

"And why, exactly, will they riot?" Sirzechs asked.

"We were at war with Heaven! The Satan Beelzebub's engagement with the Exorcist- er, I mean, the Lady Quarta will make some fear that his loyalties lie elsewhere!" the Devil explained, correcting his speech midway when Ajuka glared at him.

"About that. We're actually entering into peace talks with them and the Fallen soon. We've recently met with both Michael, the leader of the Angels, and Azazel, the Governor General of the Grigori, to arrange for a neutral meeting ground."

"WHAT?!" This started a new round of outraged cries until Falbium slammed his fist on the table in front of him hard enough to crack the magically-reinforced wood.

"ENOUGH. You have five seconds. Four…"

"T-t-t-the Magician! The Magician is a nobody!" the Devil cried desperately.

"Hmph. Fool," Lord Orion interjected. All eyes turned to the armored man who suddenly stepped forward. "You think I would allow just anyone into my Peerage?"

"…P-peerage?"

Nobody spoke, trying to process what they had just heard. Lord Orion, Harry, didn't give them the chance. A teleportation circle shimmered into existence behind him, familiar twin-layered crests at its center. Ajuka's eyes widened, as did the eyes of every other Devil in the room except for Serafall. Shortly afterwards, a second circle with only a single crest appeared alongside the first.

"That's…!"

Twin flashes of white, blue, and black light blinded the gathered Devils and one reincarnated Angel.

"My, it has been a while since I've seen the inside of this chamber," a smooth voice sounded out. "I can't say I appreciate the décor." The Devils stared at him in open-mouthed shock.

The man, obviously a Magician of some sort judging by the elegant robes he wore, ran his hands through his red and blue hair, revealing mismatched eyes of the same colors. His pointed ears made it unlikely he was fully human, but none of the Devils present questioned his identity, for he also wore a cloak bearing the mark of the Magician's organization, Grauzauberer, with the crest of the organization embroidered on the white fabric in grey, a color reserved only for its leader.

"Though I'm sure he needs no introduction, allow me to present Mephisto Pheles, Grand Magister of the Magician's Council and Chairman of the Magician's organization Grauzauberer. He is also my Bishop."

In the crowd, a couple of Devils fainted. But, Harry wasn't done just yet.

The other man transported in by the teleportation circles, having emerged from the circle with both Lord Orion's own crest, a variation of the Potter Coat of Arms, and the crest of the Satan Leviathan, was standing patiently, regarding the Council members with poorly-concealed amusement.

"Next, allow me to introduce the so-called 'no-name Magician'," the armored man said clearly, drawing the whole room's attention. "This is Mephisto's Pact Magician," another thud as someone else fainted, "my King," collective intakes of breath, "the Wizard, Harry Potter."

For his part, Harry, the unarmored one, just smiled amiably as Serafall stepped to his side and wrapped her arms around him. This drew a few scandalized gasps from the Council, but neither he nor Serafall paid them any mind. When they kissed, both Harrys had the distinct satisfaction of hearing someone burst a blood vessel.

"He is also, as you have heard, Serafall Leviathan's fiancé as of about ten years ago."

The meeting chamber once again descended into chaos. Sirzechs looked like Christmas had come early, while Falbium was back to cradling his head in his hands. Ajuka looked like he wanted to simultaneously strangle Harry and buy him a drink, while his betrothed continued to stare dumbly at the two of them. His armored counterpart gave him a discrete thumbs-up, which he nodded to acknowledge.

But, Harry didn't really care about any of them. All that mattered was the woman in his arms was happy, and boy was she if the way she kept subtly pressing herself against him while breathing on his neck was any indication. Her formal robes were apparently much thinner than they looked, and if Harry guessed right, she wasn't wearing a bra either. Their kiss had also involved a lot of tongue despite how short it was. He smiled down at her, and she beamed back at him.

All in all, Sirius would be proud.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Planned pairings have been updated. See profile. Harry's Peerage has been finalized. Hints have been updated. Again, see profile. Ignore all previous hints.

Mephisto is not actually part of Harry's or Lord Orion's Peerage. His presence is used for something else which will be explained in the next chapter.

We're not particularly well-versed in the Peerage of Hell, so everyone part of the nobility is basically a Lord or Lady, while those at the very top are Dukes and Duchesses. To make things easy, everyone is simply called Lord or Lady.

It has come to our attention that canon uses "Pure-Blood" or "Pure-Blooded" while we call it "Pureblood." This is one of those rare cases we will stick with our usage since the word actually exists and there's no reason to use a different one that means the same thing.

Arc-ending chapters don't get previews, but look forward to the action!


	16. RG7of7 Ch13 - Contracts

**Chapter 13 – Contracts**

 **(Rating Games Arc, Part Seven of Seven)**

* * *

"I win… Rias."

Sona received no response from her unconscious opponent, who was lying in the middle of a massive crater.

She stood over the other King, both their forms covered with wounds. All of her ice armor was gone, having been vaporized by Rias' Destruction Maelstrom. Large portions of her uniform were hanging from her by a thread or missing altogether, revealing the raw skin underneath. Several times throughout their fight, she had come close to being hit with beams or blasts of her opponent's deadly Power of Destruction, each time forcing her to replace her ice armor or risk losing that part of her body if it was hit again, but unable to replace the clothing or sometimes the top layer of skin that had already been taken off. But, after all was said and done, she'd been victorious. Sona had won.

Partway through their battle, Grayfia had announced the simultaneous termination of every other Peerage member in the Game when the whole academy had somehow caved in on itself. Both Kings recognized the signs of deconstructive magic, but only Sona knew what Tsubaki's backup plan had been. Apparently, her situation had worsened to the point that she was forced to put it into motion.

There was plenty of time left. Both she and Rias were likely close to running out of magical energy completely. Rias in particular was probably running on empty after her last attack that had left Sona defenseless and her unconscious in the middle of a crater almost the same size as the one Harry had created weeks ago when he was sparring in the courtyard with that other boy.

Sona's knees threatened to buckle. No. If she fell, she probably wouldn't wake up again. That meant that the match would end in a draw. Under the terms of the contract, it would be considered a loss for Rias. That was unacceptable.

Sona was proud of herself. In her mind, the past half hour was definitive proof. Proof that she was not completely helpless, that she chose her fate of her own free will. Serafall and Harry would be proud of her too, right? She had proven herself. She had conquered her own demons. And in the process, she'd opened her eyes as well.

She sighed tiredly. It was getting more and more difficult to stay awake now. All it would take was a moment of inattention, a momentary loss of focus, and she'd lose consciousness.

She was lying on the ground. Strange, when did she get there? She could see her rival, her closest friend, lying nearby. Slowly, she crawled over until she was next to her. Rias was beautiful despite her injuries and the state of her clothing. She lay on her right side, slightly curled up from how she had fallen. Sona adopted the same position, except mirrored so that she lay on her left. Her left arm hurt less, anyway.

It was thanks to her that Sona had originally found the strength and courage to fight back against her first marriage contract. She understood where her rival was coming from. Rias wanted the freedom to love whoever she wanted, and to give however much of herself she wanted to her future lover. The redhead despised the thought of giving anything less than she was given, and Sona knew that whoever she chose in the end (here, the image of a brown-haired teenager who was currently in a coma flashed briefly through her mind), he would give her everything he had as well. Rias was worth it.

"Thank you… Rias."

And so, Sona would repay her. An eye for an eye, or whatever the more positive version of that expression was, if there was one. She had some difficulty thinking. For giving her the boost she needed to escape her first marriage contract, she would free Rias from hers in return. It was only fair. Besides, not everyone had the Master and Death looking out for them. Master and Death? No, Master _of_ Death. That was it.

Harry would find a way to help her, and she would rest in peace knowing that she chose her path. Perhaps not the best use of metaphor, but her mind wasn't operating at full capacity right then. It took her remaining mental faculty to put together the sentence that would end the Rating Game. The words were whispered, but heard all the same by those who needed to hear it.

"Officiators, I… forfeit…"

With that, Sona fell unconscious as well.

" **Sona Sitri has forfeited. The winner of the Rating Game is Rias Gremory.** "

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Earlier…**

At this point, even Harry was forced to admit this was a little excessive. It had been a solid ten to fifteen minutes since he and Mephisto had appeared, and the uproar hadn't quieted down any. It would be pretentious and project the wrong image if he shushed them, and while he could always intimidate them into silence with Lord Orion, he had already shattered a few too many of the preconceptions surrounding the mysterious Noble Tyrant. Harry wanted the other version of himself to come off as abrasive and private, not irritable and completely unapproachable.

Harry surveyed the other Devils. Other than the Pureblood supporters yelling at him and sometimes at each other, the Four Satans were each reacting differently. Sirzechs was still grinning madly, content to watch the situation devolve into chaos around him. Next to the Crimson Satan, Falbium had seemingly resigned himself, and was otherwise nonresponsive as he held his head in his hands. Actually, was the Satan sleeping? Oh, that was gold. Ajuka, standing nearby, had long since given up all pretense of being annoyed with Harry and was chatting with Griselda happily amidst the general din of noise. Magesight allowed the Wizard to see the faint outline of a privacy and silencing ward. He had no idea the Satan could use his Kankara Formula that way.

Soon after the chaos started, Ajuka had breathed the heaviest sigh Harry had managed to get from him yet, and congratulated him on his public engagement. Harry had returned his congratulations. In the Wizard's case, his marriage was about nine years overdue, whereas the Satan's contract had been signed barely a week ago, with the wedding being planned to take place sometime next year. Ajuka and Griselda had been dating for quite a while prior, several months in fact. The decision to draft and sign a marriage contract had been made shortly after the woman had returned from delivering the Brave Saints cards to Heaven. Even with the secret alliance, or even if the alliance was made public, there was no way the two of them would have been able to marry otherwise since they were both such prominent members of their respective factions. By forcing the issue via an exclusive contract, so long as both of them didn't agree to dissolve it, they were both unable to be bound via other contracts and would inevitably be married by the magic of the contract itself, regardless of if a ceremony even occurred.

Harry's observation of the non-bigoted people in the room eventually brought him to the bubbly woman still hanging on to him like a limpet. There was no confusing it now, Serafall was definitely happy. And when Serafall was happy, especially because of Harry, Serafall was horny. He wondered what her fans would think if they knew just how often she jumped him in random places throughout her mansion. He also strongly suspected she had an exhibitionist streak in her, seeing as how she was just as likely to jump him in his office at Kuoh or wherever else he happened to be if the mood struck her.

Harry coughed to cover his blush when one of her hands strayed towards an inappropriate spot to be touching in polite company. Seeing as the situation didn't show any signs of changing, he decided to screw the consequences and made his way over to the armored form of Lord Orion, who was standing with his arms crossed. Next to him, Mephisto was looking over the situation with the same sort of humor he often had when he was observing members, usually apprentices, of Grauzauberer struggle with a particularly difficult spell. When he noticed Harry coming over, his expression changed to the look of anticipation he had when said apprentices were about to blow something up in a spectacular fashion.

"Lord Orion…" he said, pretending to get his other self's attention. In truth, they could communicate telepathically across short distances or with the help of the Deathly Hallows, one of which the armored Lord wore as his cape everywhere.

"Yes?"

"Perhaps it is time to… move things along?"

"I agree. This noise is beginning to irritate me."

Somehow, the normal volume with which Lord Orion spoke managed to carry across to most of the gathered Devils, making them shout even louder. Both Harrys sent a meaningful glance at Sirzechs, whose expression morphed into one of mild alarm. Sensing impending doom if he didn't do something, he flared his power just enough to silence the rest of the Council members. Next to him, Falbium started slightly and nearly slammed his forehead on the table in front of him, before blinking a few times and looking around in confusion. He regained his bearing admirably quickly, and adopted the same bored and annoyed look he wore ever since he sat down. Sirzechs cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Anyway, as should be obvious, the… Magician that the Satan Leviathan is betrothed to is actually rather prominent, if his Pacts and position in Lord Orion's Peerage is anything to go by."

"Lord Orion lies! How could that man be- Grk!"

The Devil who had spoken up suddenly found himself dragged through the air and suspended in front of the man he had accused of being a liar. Harry made a great show of gesturing with his hands so that everyone knew it was him who was casting the magic. As soon as the Devil was level with the other man's helmet, Orion lashed out with a punch that sent him careening into the lowest row of seats, breaking them despite their magical reinforcement.

With all eyes on him and his armored self, Harry, as Orion, nodded to Harry the Wizard, who proceeded to put his right hand on his chest. A light-generating spell and quick teleportation later, and he held the modified King Piece in his hand for all to see. There was thin, white line running from the Piece to the center of his chest, signifying the bond. At least, that was what it was supposed to represent. Once he was satisfied everyone had seen it, he returned the Piece to the inside of his chest.

"B-but, no Devil would ever give their King Piece to someone else! It simply isn't done!"

"I am no Devil," Lord Orion answered simply.

"But, the King Piece is what affords you control over your Peerage!"

"Do you think my title is for show?"

That shut the Pureblood Devils up.

"Do you think the improvements I made to your Evil Pieces, I made not knowing how they operated? Do any of you think the fact that I am called the Tyrant – that my Pieces are called the Tyrant Pieces – means nothing?"

Lord Orion seemed to grow in size as he spoke, his figure becoming more imposing.

"Your Satans use the Pieces I helped to create. They are named after me, the Noble Tyrant, out of respect for my abilities. Do not make the mistake of thinking I require one of your petty creations to earn the respect and obedience of my followers. I grant my Peerage strength, and in return they grant me their service. Those who do not follow are left behind."

"B-but, you can't just extract Pieces from people!" a female Devil cried.

"Can't I?"

Without hesitation, the armored man reached behind him in the direction of the other Harry, and the Wizard Piece flew out of his chest and into his outstretched hand, link still intact. The Devil woman stared in shock.

"You saw my King, my Wizard extract his own Piece mere seconds ago. Why do you assume I am incapable of doing the same?" He let the Piece go, floating back until it re-entered the other Harry's chest.

One of the older Purebloods coughed politely, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Be that as it may, it does solve our issue."

"Doesn't it? Don't Devils respect power? Is that not why you respect and fear me?"

Lord Orion's voice rose slightly.

"If anyone objects to their marriage, the Satan Beelzebub, the Angel Griselda, my Wizard, or the Satan Leviathan, let them come forth."

Then he made his proclamation.

"I hereby issue a standing challenge to all Devils who oppose their unions. I will fight all of you in a Rating Game."

His declaration was met with silence and incredulity. Soon, the Devils began laughing. Another one of the older Purebloods paused in his laughter long enough to address the armored man who had moved from his spot.

"Surely you jest. Make no mistake Lord Orion, I am well aware of the difference in our power, but even you could not possibly fight all of us at once and expect to win."

"Interesting. You laugh, but you refuse to meet my gaze." The laughter stopped. Lord Orion's power began rolling off of him in waves, cowing most of the other Devils, Satans excepted, into submission. The man turned his helmet slowly as he made sure to face every section and row of the Council. Everywhere he turned, eyes looked down or somewhere else.

"Where is your laughter now?" His power was stifling. It was suffocating. It was completely unlike anything the Devils had ever felt before. It made one want to submit to him completely, to do as he willed no matter what. "Well? Do you still object?"

Then, another power rose to meet his.

"Oh?"

"As thankful as I am to you for saving the life of my own love and allowing me to fulfill our marriage contract, I cannot in good conscience allow you to coerce the Council the way you are trying to."

"Thank you, Lord Lucifer…" a Councilman began, but he was cut off.

"Silence. I do not do this for your sakes, but for the sake of my beliefs, the beliefs of the Satans that we will only be able to build a prosperous Underworld if we rule through acceptance rather than fear. We will not solve this by forcing each other to accept the others' opinions or by yelling at each other."

Sufficiently chastised, the rest of the Purebloods who were about to begin berating Lord Orion went quiet.

"This has gone on long enough," Falbium said finally, his first words in a while. "Lord Orion has made his point. We are, at our core, creatures that respect power. If any would doubt the worthiness of either Lady Griselda Quarta or Lord Harry Potter, a show of force should suffice."

"A… show of force?" one Devil asked slowly.

"Yes. A tradition, as so many of you seem to love. Lord Orion has the right. He will participate in a Rating Game. Any who oppose him are free to trade Pieces temporarily. The Game will be televised and broadcast to all the Underworld."

"If I may," one of the older Devils from before spoke up, "I believe Lord Orion's suggestion was well-founded, if misdirected."

Both Harrys turned to regard the Devil with sharp looks. Now was the time.

"You see, Lord Orion currently serves as an officiator for the Rating Games that are slated to decide the outcome of another contract penned by this very Council."

Both Sirzechs and Serafall narrowed their eyes dangerously. Their glares did nothing to deter the smug Devil.

"I'm sure this Council would find it… unacceptable for the contract to be rendered null and void for any reason. For example, if Lord Orion was to challenge it on the basis of distant relation due to the marriage of one of his Peerage members to the elder sister of one of the concerned parties."

"Your hypothetical fails," Falbium commented. "The Satan Leviathan severed all ties with her family upon assuming her role."

"That being the case, it is no secret that she cares deeply for her younger sibling. It would not be too far-fetched to assume she might resign her position, making the annulment of the contract her last act. Before, she would have been pressured into marriage herself. But now…"

"She's betrothed," Lord Orion finished. "Get to the point. What do you want?"

"Why, for you to simply do your job, of course!" the Devil replied with a smile. His smile faltered slightly when the armored man growled at him, but it didn't go away.

"So this was your backup plan?" Harry, as Orion, asked. "You take advantage of my offer to officiate a Rating Game when I stated my interest in the sport, and attempt to place me into a binding contract to enforce your rules in case something might get in the way?"

At this point, several other Purebloods were smiling as well. What they didn't notice was Ajuka was having trouble hiding a smile of his own. Harry, armored as he was, also had the benefit of not having to hide his own grin. He began chuckling lowly.

The old Devil who had been speaking up until now looked at him in confusion.

"Is there something funny, Lord Orion?"

"You presume too much," was the reply. He stopped chuckling and spoke clearly. "Very well, exactly what do you propose?"

"Hmph. As this could be considered an indirect breach of contract between the Pureblood families of Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth, and Phenex, the Council orders you, as sole officiator of the Games, to stop it by any means necessary."

The other Devils were quick to agree with the old Devil who now seemed to be leading them.

"'Any means necessary'?"

"Indeed. You have power over your Peerage, which includes power over contracts they are involved in. If such a situation comes to pass that the Satan Leviathan steps down and attempts to annul the contract, we will have you annul hers with your King. Then, she will be subject to the same contract she tried to stop!" the Devil finished triumphantly.

"And if she wins?"

"She won't," the Devil replied confidently.

Harry had never been an accomplished mind-reader, or Legilimens as it was called back in his time, but he didn't need to be one to see the confidence with which the Devil spoke or hear the certainty in the his words.

"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Lord Orion remarked casually.

"Rias Gremory is by far the stronger of the two. She also has more of her Peerage available to her. Meanwhile, Sona Sitri has only her Queen and her Pawn! Her Queen's Sacred Gear is also unusable!"

Harry noticed a couple of the other Devils motion to the old man to stop talking, but judicious application of various spells to give him tunnel vision and silence the other Devils kept him unaware. Finishing off the combo with a compulsion to keep speaking, the trap was set.

"You're well-informed. I don't recall seeing you as one of the spectators."

"I was kept up-to-date by an associate," the Devil replied smoothly.

"Would this associate have happened to be a member of the Hero Faction?"

"Wh-what? Who are they?" the Devil asked. "I don't know any Hero Faction."

"We discussed them in last month's meeting," Sirzechs said, catching on that something was up. "Which you should have attended."

"I was sick!" he protested. "I sent a notice!"

"Never mind that. As you should know if you were kept informed, Diodora Astaroth died in his Rating Game," Lord Orion continued. "He was killed by Issei Hyoudou, the Pawn of Rias Gremory's Peerage, by summoning his pet familiar."

"Y-yes, I heard it was a snake."

"Indeed. A very special snake, as it turns out. A snake whose mother just so happens to belong to my King." A lie. He only had the one snake. It had never mated, and it had never given birth or laid eggs. In fact, it had never even grown from its original size. He named it after an old acquaintance on a whim because its color scheme had somehow reminded him of the man.

"What?! You interfered in the Game! How could you!"

"I did no such thing." His sharp retort silenced the Devil temporarily in spite of his compulsion magic. "The boy found and bonded with the familiar weeks ago, and registered it as a legal familiar three days before the Game. But, that's not important. What is important is that I'm told that breed feeds on a very special type of energy."

"That's impossible! Raw magic is poisonous to all living things!"

"Raw magic?" Harry baited.

"Yes, what else would the conceptual magic of Infinity be fueled by?"

Harry's grin turned vicious, though, hidden as it was behind his helmet, the other Devil didn't realize immediately. The Devil's fellow Council members were staring at him in shock and horror. Ajuka and Serafall glared at him. Even, Falbium, lazy as he was, had an unnaturally-focused look on his face as he rose from his seat. But nothing else in the room could compare to the thunderous look on Sirzechs' face.

"YOU…!"

The Pureblood Devil jumped in his seat as he turned to look at the Crimson Satan. The old man's face paled considerably when he saw the Super Devil approaching with murder in his eyes.

"W-wait… Wait!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Sirzechs' blow would have beheaded the man if he had not been saved by Falbium of all people harshly pulling him out of the way. Instead, the fist coated with the Power of Destruction struck the back of the man's seat, vaporizing the entire chair. When he turned to strike again, he was held back by Falbium.

"Sirzechs, calm down!" the man shouted as he struggled to hold the other Satan back. In front of them both, the Pureblood disappeared. Sirzechs broke free and looked around wildly, magic raging around him and destroying most of the wooden furniture nearby.

"Now now, Sirzechs, you can't do that. You have responsibilities, remember?" Mephisto chided lightly as the Pureblood Devil reappeared next him bound tightly in magically-conjured restraints.

"THE MAGIC OF INFINITY!" Sirzechs roared as he lifted off of the ground and began descending towards the center of the room. " **DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!** " He was stopped by both his best friend Ajuka and the armored form of Lord Orion.

"He will face justice for his actions," the former said. Harry said nothing, but stood resolutely in the face of Sirzechs' fury. Their actions did nothing but make him angrier, but he lowered his voice until he was no longer yelling, though the sub-vocal growl it had gained with the partial release of his Super Devil form remained.

" **Only one being wields the magic of Infinity. Ophis, the Dragon God. Answer me now, or I swear I will have you and everyone associated with you executed in as painful a manner I can possibly think of. Then, I will have your souls tortured for all eternity."**

The old Devil whimpered in his restraints. His pathetic display was stopped by Sirzechs' hand on his throat, lifting him off the ground. Ajuka made to stop his friend, but found an armored hand in his way. He looked at the armored Harry, then the unarmored one, who shook his head subtly.

" **Where did you get it?! How did you get it?!"**

The Devil, in his terrified state, took too long for Sirzechs' liking, so the Crimson Satan let the arm he wasn't using to hold the man up morph into his Super Devil form completely. The aura of power he was releasing was more than enough to cause the weaker Council members to faint. The remaining ones were too busy trying to stay conscious to stop him. Only Harry, Lord Orion (who was also Harry), Mephisto, and the other Satans were seemingly unaffected. Griselda struggled slightly until Ajuka took her hand in his.

" **ANSWER ME!"** Sirzechs shouted in the man's face, his free hand hovering over the man's side. The bindings were the first to break apart. Then, his clothing began disintegrating. When the Devil saw this, he panicked even more.

"It was given to me!" the older Devil responded frantically, acting on reflex to save his life.

" **From who?!"**

"I don't know! I don't remember!"

" **Don't lie to me!"** The hand drew closer. The old Devil's skin began peeling away. The worst part was, he couldn't even feel anything, even though he saw part of his body literally flaking apart in front of his eyes.

"I'm not! I swear! All I remember is meeting someone! He, or she, I really don't know! They told me I could control one of the Satans! They promised me I would be able to order the Tyrant! That I'd be loved and respected by all of the Purebloods! By all Devils!"

When Sirzechs made to actually grab him with his hand, the Pureblood Devil began talking faster. At this point, the remaining members of the Council had fainted. It was a small miracle the old Devil Sirzechs was holding was still conscious.

"They gave me a snake! A white snake! All white! It was small! I don't know what type of snake it was! I barely remember what it looks like! It's like with whoever gave it to me! I don't remember, really I don't!"

" **When did you meet them?!"**

"M-m-months ago! Several months ago!"

" **Where is the snake now?!"**

"I gave it to Diodora Astaroth! I don't know what he did with it! I just followed instructions!"

" **What about the contracts! The Games! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"**

The Devil could only whimper, not knowing how else to respond.

"Enough, Sirzechs. That's all we need from him," Ajuka said, stepping forward after he was no longer being blocked. He put his hand on the redhead's shoulder, uncaring of the Power of Destruction flowing freely through it. He knew Sirzechs had complete control over what it destroyed when it was a part of him like this.

"… **Hmph."**

Sirzechs dropped the Devil on the ground, his form shifting back to normal. He stared at the Pureblood curled up in the fetal position with utter disdain. Said Devil fainted shortly thereafter.

"He will be put to death."

"He will get what he deserves," Ajuka said.

"He _deserves_ to die and have his soul condemned to eternal torment."

"No, he doesn't."

Harry's interjection caused everyone to turn to him.

"Master…" Sirzechs started dangerously. Griselda was startled when she heard him, and looked between the Satan and the human Wizard incredulously. Ajuka put one hand on her shoulder and promised to explain later, making the Exorcist pout.

"Death, sure. But it takes a special crime to warrant eternal damnation."

"Oh? Please, do share. If what he did doesn't warrant that, what does?" Sirzechs asked sarcastically.

"Mass genocide," Harry replied solemnly. "Ripping the souls of others out of their bodies and experimenting on them. Consuming others' souls for power. Splitting your own soul to achieve limited immortality."

Nobody said a word, though Griselda regarded the Wizard of Lord Orion's Peerage curiously.

"So, what now?" Falbium asked, having made his own way down to the center.

The others looked around. Every Council member was unconscious.

"Rias and Sona's Rating Game will end any second now," Sirzechs said.

"And, we're no closer than we were earlier today to stopping the early activation of the contract," Ajuka added.

"It's already over," Lord Orion replied, drawing shocked looks from the rest of the Devils. "The two of you aren't actual officiators, just officials. Since I am the only one, I already know the result."

"And?" Sirzechs asked.

"Rias won."

The Crimson Satan sighed in relief, but quickly caught himself and looked over at Serafall, who was rubbing her cheek against Wizard-Harry. She returned his glance curiously.

"Serafall? Are you okay?" Sirzechs asked delicately.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! I'm fine! Thanks for asking!" she replied in her usual bubbly tone.

The others looked at her in confusion, except for the two Harrys.

"Didn't you hear? Sona lost," Ajuka said, expecting an outburst.

"Mm? Well of course So-tan lost. She was supposed to!"

"What?" the other Satans asked.

"Now the contract is active! Yay! Ha-Orion-kun, tell them~" Serafall cooed as she continued to hug the stuffing out of Wizard-Harry. Orion-Harry looked at his double enviously.

"As Sera said, the contract's active now. Now, something can be done about it," he said authoritatively.

"I don't understand," Ajuka said.

"It is as that Devil said," Orion-Harry explained, trying to stay in character. "Now that Sona Sitri is definitely the target of the contract, I have the right to challenge it."

"But Serafall-"

"Did not actually forfeit her familial ties when she took up her station. None of you swore magically-binding vows, and the magic of the contracts would have likely ignored them anyway unless you found a way to change your core's magical signature."

"So… that means…?"

"I could challenge it as is, but that would not achieve the desired result. The contract would default back to Rias Gremory. We must take control of it," Orion-Harry said.

"How?" Sirzechs asked.

"The contract was penned by the High Council. They are its owners. You must simply receive permission from them."

"Uhh… you mean all of them?"

"Yes. To be more accurate, at least one of them must agree, all must be present, and nobody can oppose you. Abstentions are irrelevant."

"They're all unconscious. How do we do that?"

"I told you. They do not matter. They are unconscious, so all of their votes will be counted as abstaining." Orion-Harry turned to Serafall. "As the Satan of Foreign Affairs, you are in charge of transportation to any territories within Hell."

Serafall beamed back at him over Wizard-Harry's shoulder.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Sirzechs! Now I can let all the other Devils in!"

"What?"

For the second time, the other Satans were left dumbfounded. Their confusion turned to abject shock, then amazement as, one by one, the other members of the High Council appeared in their usual seats, although a few in the bottom row nearly toppled to the ground when their expected seats were missing or destroyed.

"How in the world…?" Sirzechs muttered.

"Harry, are you sure you aren't a Devil? Even a little bit?" Ajuka asked, his eyes wide.

"I give up. I'm going to sleep after this. Fuck this," Falbium said.

The last person to appear was Grayfia. She stepped forward and raised her voice, calling for silence. The other Devils quieted when she began speaking.

"Lucifer-sama, the Devils of the High Council have come to a consensus. They are ready to pass ownership of the contract to you."

"I… I accept?" he replied questioningly, still a little dazed at the developments.

Grayfia nodded. "Let any who oppose this transfer speak up now or forever hold your peace." Nobody said anything. "Then, It is done."

"Just like that?" Sirzechs asked.

"Just so," Orion-Harry replied. "Now, we must change the terms."

"Can't I just annul it? I'm the owner now, right?"

"You could, but I was of the opinion you would appreciate blocking anything like this from ever happening again."

"…I'm listening."

"Leave it intact, but change the pairing upon failure."

"Why not just directly?"

"It doesn't work like that," Mephisto chimed in. "Since the contract is active, you cannot change its active targets. You can only alter its terms or annul it outright."

"Okay, who do we change it to?"

"There's only one Pureblood pairing among the Satans," Orion-Harry responded.

Sirzechs stared incredulously for the third time.

"But… we're already married."

"The contract never required marriage…" Ajuka whispered.

Sirzechs was getting a little annoyed that he kept being left dumbfounded, but his excitement overrode his minor irritation at being proven less intelligent than his master and best friend over and over again. He never claimed to be the smarter one anyway.

"Alright, how do I do this? Wait, first, how do I make it fail?"

"The signatories, or qualified parties, fight the owner in a Rating Game."

It took a second for Sirzechs to register what Lord Orion said. When he did, it took every ounce of self-control he had not to shout in surprise, curse in disbelief, or do anything else that might embarrass him further in front of his supporters in the Council.

"Then… that means…"

Harry pulled himself free from Serafall's grip and stepped forward. His words were heard by everyone else in the room.

"Sirzechs Lucifer, I challenge you to a Rating Game."

Sirzechs stared at his Master. Both of them. His face soon split into a wide grin as realization dawned in his eyes. He was smiling so hard it hurt, while his energy was running wild through him once more, this time in anticipation.

"Oh, you're on."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

A couple of hours later, just before midnight, Sirzechs stood surrounded by his Peerage at one side of a barren wasteland that stretched for several kilometers in every direction. Every member of his Peerage except for his Queen was bonded with two Noble Pieces, the modified Evil Pieces used by the Four Great Satans. These Pieces conferred a substantial power boost upon their hosts, at the cost of the King receiving no power boost of his or her own. In other words, it was a one-way exchange of magical energy from King to Peerage.

Grayfia Lucifuge, his Queen which he had reincarnated his only Mutated Piece, was wearing her usual French maid outfit, looking as calm and beautiful as ever as she stood next to him. Next to her, his Knight, Souji Okita, wearing the traditional uniform of the Japanese Shinsengumi, twirled his katana idly. On Sirzechs' other side, his Bishop, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers (MacGregor Mathers for short), one of the founders of the Magician's organization known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, stood proudly in his trademark crimson robe. Behind all of them, his Rook, Surtr Second, stood imposingly, towering over his King and his fellow Peerage members. In front of him, his Pawn Beowulf impatiently tapped his foot, waiting for the signal to begin. His other Pawn, Enku, had been sent to take care of Rias, Sona, and their Peerages, with the help of Serafall and Griselda, who knew a fair amount of healing magic.

In the spectator's box for the match, Ajuka stood alone, being the sole officiator and only witness for the Rating Game. There wasn't really a need for a witness since the divine magic of the contract would activate on its own whenever a valid challenge was made in the presence of its owners, but Ajuka had wanted to see with his own eyes what Harry was truly capable of. Plus, it had been a while since he had seen his best friend really let loose. The pocket dimension was reinforced and expanded several hundred times over with the help of Harry, Ajuka, Mephisto, and every conscious Devil on the High Council for that express purpose.

" **The Rating Game will commence in sixty seconds. Be prepared."**

Harry smirked slightly at how Ajuka had shortened the message. The armored form of Lord Orion walked up to him. The two exchanged thoughts silently, before nodding. Since Mephisto hadn't actually bonded with the Bishop Tyrant Piece, he was not allowed to participate. His presence at the meeting had lent credence to their claims, but more importantly, the implication that he was the host of a Tyrant Piece meant that Lord Orion was now considered a reincarnated Devil since the Tyrant Pieces worked in reverse compared to the Noble Pieces. This went a long way towards differentiating him from Harry Potter, the Wizard of his Peerage.

Lord Orion was a powerful Magician who used a lost system of magic. His moniker, the Tyrant, came from the fact that his magic allowed him to take control of the spells of others. Now that everyone thought he was a Devil, he could safely use demonic spells and even more advanced theological magic without anyone batting an eye. On the other hand, Harry Potter was a genius Magician. Possibly the best of his generation, but still human. By sticking to elemental and spiritual magic, he drew clear boundaries between his two identities.

The two of them waited patiently for the Game to begin.

" **On my mark…"**

Orion and Harry walked as far apart as they were allowed to. Orion drew his favored sword from his cloak, the ruby-encrusted hilt emerging first, followed by the silver blade. It was the same sword Harry had used in his spars weeks earlier, but nobody here knew that. Meanwhile, Harry just raised one hand, pointed at Sirzechs and his Peerage, who eyed him much more warily once he did.

" **Go!"**

The world exploded. There was no incantation, no sign of impending attack, not even a split-second of energy gathering. One moment, Sirzechs was in the middle of shifting to his Super Devil form; the next, he found himself flying through the air, his Peerage nowhere in sight. He quickly gained control, completing his transformation as the ground several meters below him became to crumble away into nothingness. His eyes alighted upon a familiar armored figure standing nearby.

" **Lord Orion,"** he addressed him mockingly.

"Sirzechs," the man greeted back.

The two wasted no further words.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

MacGregor Mathers tried in vain to block the forced teleportation. When he was able to see again, he noticed he was seemingly alone. His fellow Peerage members were no doubt in similar situations.

"It greatly pains me to admit that you are by far my superior in the realm of spatial magic," he said with a wry smile.

Harry Potter smiled back, having popped into existence moments earlier.

"Call it an advantage of having lived longer."

"Hm. Yes, well, you'll have to excuse me if that doesn't make me feel much better."

Without warning, the Bishop thrust both arms outwards. Twin walls of earth rose from the ground to block the invisible spears of rotating wind that had threatened to pierce him from both sides.

"You've gotten better at sensing magic."

"You flatter me."

Next, the Bishop jumped backwards as an enormous stalagmite burst from beneath him. When he felt space distort behind him, he was quick to turn around and cast a powerful barrier spell just in time to block an exploding boulder the size of a small car. The sheer mass and force of the explosion still propelled him a fair distance as it impacted his shield. MacGregor's mind was on overdrive. He found what he was looking for, but when he tried reaching for it mentally, he found his efforts blocked inexplicably.

"No cheating, Mr. Mathers."

The Bishop cursed as his attempt to summon his allies to his side was thwarted. He traced runes in the air with a glowing finger. A second later, Harry found himself trapped in a translucent blue box. With a thought, he apparated outside. MacGregor stared at him in shock.

"But… I blocked spatial manipulation…?"

"Doesn't work on my brand of teleportation."

"…I loathe you."

Harry just laughed in response. The spears of darkness that shot forth from his shadow broke on the see-through armor plating that appeared over the Wizard's torso. The lightning that followed was redirected into the ground. Three simultaneous spells, avoided completely by swapping places with the Bishop, who had to scramble to counter his own magic. All four basic elements, fire, water, wind, and earth, shot forth from his opponent's hand. They were all blocked by identical blasts from his own hand, resulting in a spectacular light show in between them.

MacGregor tried summoning anything to himself, but found his ability mysteriously blocked. He began channeling energy for teleportation and was relieved to find that whatever stopped him from moving others to himself didn't stop him from moving himself to them. Locking on to the closest allied magical signature, he cast the spell without hesitation, narrowly avoiding twin spears of ice and wind.

His relief was short-lived when he nearly had his head taken off by Grayfia as he appeared next to her. As he opened his mouth to speak, he felt another distortion in space and hurriedly cast a shield over them both. To his puzzlement, the distortion vanished. But, his shield still blocked something. Namely, the concussive blast of force that came from the Wizard he swore he had left behind. He hadn't even noticed when the man had followed him!

"Lower the shield. Support me." The orders were short and crisp, and he followed them readily. Idly, he noted how strange it was that he could not see any of the others, especially Surtr. The battleground was several kilometers across, but Surtr in his giant form was easily visible from a much farther distance.

Grayfia charged at her opponent, her focus razor-sharp. When she neared, she saw slowing magic being applied to the man. Wasting no time, she spun in a roundhouse kick. In spite of the magic that should have been slowing him down, Harry was not only able to avoid the kick, but also fire another blast of force from his hand, blowing the Queen backwards due to her relatively low weight. The Wizard's face lit up as he thought of something. Moments later, both Grayfia and MacGregor felt themselves become weightless. They activated their flight magic, wondering what the point of nullifying the gravity was, but found their question answered when Harry casually tapped his foot on the ground, and the equivalent of a small mountain was dislodged as one big mass, leaving a massive crater big enough to be a dried-up lake in the ground.

Said mass was launched at the two of them ponderously slowly, but the real trick happened moments later when they found themselves drawn together, or more accurately, towards a single point in space the gigantic mass was also drawn towards. Not one to stand for being crushed by a mountain, MacGregor teleported himself and Grayfia out of the range of the singularity. He flinched slightly when the woman lashed out with a punch next to his face, but understood when he heard the sound of something shattering. Turning his head, he saw what looked like hundreds of glass spears pointed in their direction, with Harry standing behind them. As soon as the Wizard noticed them appear fully, they began shooting en masse.

Thinking quickly, MacGregor clapped his hands and amplified the sound, shattering all the spears. Then, he waved his hands and generated gale-force winds to blow the shards off course. Grayfia used her own magic to shoot several concentrated blasts of energy in his direction, each one carrying enough force to reduce a normal High-Class Devil to a pulp. Rather than block them, Harry cast a series of short-range teleportation spells on the blasts themselves, causing each one to teleport from in front of him to behind him and ruin the environment instead of his clothing.

The Queen's eye twitched slightly. She had been fighting for several minutes and had nothing to show for it. Granted, she had not been hit either, but it rankled that everything she tried was somehow countered with no visible effort. She was supposed to be the Underworld's Strongest Queen! MacGregor slowly backed away from his ally as her mood worsened.

Another forward charge, this time through a weightless world. Gravity reasserted itself midway, but it didn't stop Grayfia. Taking pages from her opponent's book, she punched at the air slightly in front of him. The next moment, a magical explosion of force resounded throughout the battlefield. Not wanting to let the Wizard avoid her attack, she had simultaneously cast a gravity well around them both. MacGregor had also conjured restraints around Harry's hands and feet, but they were broken almost immediately after they formed.

Grayfia noted the only sign of Harry's possible distress was a raised eyebrow, but figured it was unlikely he would escape completely even if he utilized his strange teleportation technique. She had triggered the explosion only after she was sure it was too close for him to do so. The aftermath of her attack had left a crater on the ground several meters below. MacGregor had actually been forced to quickly backpedal, but the shockwave still disrupted his flight magic. Grayfia had been very angry and frustrated.

" **Beowulf, retired."**

The Queen blinked in shock. How?

"That was dangerous, Grayfia. Any more force, and you might have actually torn through a couple layers of the dimensional wards." Harry didn't say it, but that attack would have also grievously injured him as he was, unprotected by his cloak. He actually had to recall his other copies to deal with it. That Beowulf had been grappling with one of them was a happy coincidence he took advantage of.

Grayfia spun around to see the Wizard standing behind her, completely unscathed. Floating next to him was the unconscious body of MacGregor Mathers, the Bishop's red robes in disarray. She charged at him without hesitation, but she was unable to make it time before her allied Bishop's body imploded on itself.

" **MacGregor Mathers, retired."**

"RAAAH!"

Harry ducked the Queen's fist, dispelling the paired explosion while he was at it. Now that he was just two people again, himself and Orion, he had access to more of his abilities. He then pulled the woman into the path of an incoming thrust from a katana appearing out of a rip in space. The wielder paused his strike, but the blade flashed outwards and would have taken Harry's hand off if he hadn't let go. Grayfia recovered and kicked backwards at him, but met only air.

Harry continued backing away quickly as Souji Okita moved through the tear he had made in the barrier separating the pocket dimension he'd been deposited in from the one Harry and Grayfia occupied. The Wizard would have liked to teleport, but the small distortions in space the slashes from the Knight's katana generated prevented him from using anything but his brand of apparition, and even that came with a brief moment of disorientation that the Knight would no doubt gleefully take advantage of unless Harry apparated out of the dimension completely. As soon as he gathered enough energy, Harry loosed a burst of binding magic that stopped the Knight long enough for the Wizard to cast successive spells to keep both his opponents advancing on him temporarily.

"Your godspeed is really a cheat, Souji-san," Harry said, adopting the man's native language. "When did you learn to slash through dimensions? Rias-chan will be ecstatic someone else has managed to replicate more of anime in real life."

"Ara, I do believe you are correct. I'll be sure to show her when the opportunity presents itself," the easygoing man agreed. His katana wavered slightly. "Anyway, Harry-san, it was rather impolite of you to retreat from our match so early."

"My apologies. Grayfia-san was… insistent."

Impatient and now even more irritated, Grayfia opted to launch a magical blast at Harry. The Wizard bounced it back, much to her shock. Souji practically teleported in front of her, his katana flashing countless times as it cut the blast to pieces.

"Ara ara, Grayfia-sama. Perhaps, are you angry? You should calm down. It wouldn't do for you to lose your cool, after all."

Despite her mounting fury, Grayfia listened to reason. Taking a deep breath, she refocused.

"There you go," the Knight said with a smile. He was sweating, however, and Grayfia could tell he was hiding his exhaustion. Slashing through space was a fiendishly difficult thing to accomplish, even more so when it was done without the aid of magic.

"I'm impressed with all of you, really," Harry said without any hint of condescension. "It may not seem like it, but I'm actually tired, too." And he was. His reserves, massive as they were, were not endless. He had been drawing on magic from his surroundings to recharge himself, and he was still beginning to run out. Soon, he would need to relocate again.

Both Queen and Knight narrowed their eyes at him. Grayfia flew through the air at Harry, who prepared to meet her. He was caught unawares when Souji Jumped through her with his superior speed, and nearly scored the first direct hit this Harry would have taken the entire match. Unfortunately for the Knight, Harry's automatic defense spells, the first he had cast on himself at the very beginning of the battle, were finally activated as the katana made contact. Souji was blown away with even greater speed than he had approached, a wound appearing on his torso as if Harry had been the one to deliver the strike. His uncontrolled flight took him into Grayfia, behind him, who sensed something was very wrong and caught the Knight.

Souji coughed up blood.

"Heh… Damn. I knew there was something there, but I thought I'd be able to cut it."

His wounds seemingly worsened over time. The space-rending properties of his attacks had backfired. Grayfia attempted to perform healing, but was unable to muster the proper focus. Magic could do anything with focus and power. However, clarity of focus included knowing exactly what you wanted to happen. For basic magic, willing something to happen was enough. For more advanced magic like healing, the caster had to focus on how he or she wanted the healing to occur. Grayfia was a trained field medic, but wounds caused by spatial tearing were outside her expertise.

"Enough, Grayfia-sama. I will take satisfaction in knowing I cut through his defenses. I leave the rest to you. I forfeit."

" **Souji Okita has retired."**

Harry looked at the man with respect as he vanished. In truth, this was not the first time the Knight had managed to score a hit. After one Harry had teleported to Souji's position, said copy had immediately been slashed with the full force of the man's strength and skill. That time, the Knight really had cut through his defenses. The space-distorting slash had been powerful enough to completely overpower his automatic defense spells, and it had torn a nasty gash across his copy's chest. Over the course of the battle, his copy had then sustained several other minor wounds from instances where he narrowly avoided the katana, but not the invisible blade of energy that accompanied it. Thankfully, Harry did not retain damage from other instances of himself. Only the memories.

His attention was brought back to Grayfia as she began charging the largest magical spell she'd cast all day. Much like her husband's signature magic, the ground began crumbling away underneath her as the aura of power around her became visible.

Harry only smiled.

"Sorry Grayfia," he said. "But it's 'Game Over' for you."

" **Sirzechs has retired. Harry Potter has won the Rating Game."**

Her energy dissipated.

"…What?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sirzechs stood proudly over the prone form of Lord Orion. The Tyrant's armor was dented and cracked all over, but still miraculously intact, much to Sirzechs' frustration. He took consolation in the fact that his own armor was also intact, albeit in his case, it was because his Super Devil form transferred all damage directly to his body. Seconds later, the Satan fell to his knees, then crumpled to the ground as his body could no longer remain upright. His forfeiture had come not a moment too soon. After all, a draw between them was a loss in terms of the contract.

"Heh…" Sirzechs coughed painfully. "I got you at the end, you bastard."

"That you did," Harry admitted. His voice spoke of total exhaustion, the same as the man he had fought.

"So, the magic of Tyranny, huh? I still say it's cheating how you can just take my Power of Destruction and use it however you want, Master."

"Don't call me that," Harry said half-heartedly. "It's a good cover though, right?"

Ajuka appeared between them, looking at Harry intensely.

"Yeah. Nobody would be able to tell what type of magic you're using," the other Satan answered. "Truly a lost magic unique to you."

The Crimson Satan laughed, before stopping abruptly because it hurt his chest.

"Yeah. 'Lost magic'."

"As long as you're careful not to use the same magic as Harry, nobody will be able to connect the two of you. Information on your Time-Turner is available only to the absolute leaders of each faction, not including Sirzechs and Serafall's younger siblings."

"Speaking of which, how are they?" Harry asked.

"They're fine. Griselda stopped by briefly while you were fighting."

"Oho? Did you two have fun in the spectator's box alone?" Sirzechs asked with a suggestive eyebrow waggle.

"Please. I'm not Serafall."

"Hey," Harry complained, "I love her and she loves me."

"We know," the other two Satans replied in unison.

"So… situation resolved?" Sirzechs asked wearily. He was about to fall asleep, if he was being honest. The ground seemed pretty comfortable at the moment.

"Yeah. All you have to do is get Grayfia pregnant now," Ajuka remarked drily. His friend choked a bit.

"Yup. Better get busy, Sirzechs. The contract will compel you to either way," Harry teased.

Sirzechs raised his head just enough to glare at his two friends. His friends returned his glare with shit-eating grins, which soon spread to his own face as he imagined having a child of his own. Maybe a son, like Grayfia had said? If he remembered correctly, she also had a name picked out already.

"Now what?" Ajuka asked.

"Now, I can act freely. Or at least, more freely," Harry asserted. "Lord Orion is established, and I have several people who can vouch for my identity if anyone asks."

"If they pry too deeply, they'll still find out you're basically a non-entity before you moved to Kuoh formally. Nothing you did before that was done under your own name," Sirzechs warned.

"It's fine. I've actually talked about it with Mephisto. I'm an honorary Archmage of Grauzauberer that he personally recruited decades ago. I'm also much older than I look."

"I swear, for all the teasing you subject us to, you could make a fine politician yourself," Ajuka commented.

"So you've said. Trust me, it comes with experience. When I was young, I went through something similar."

"You were involved in the Pureblood politics of Devils?"

"No, I was involved in the Pureblood politics of wizards. It was arguably worse. At least now, I'm powerful and I have help from the leaders, not to mention one of them is my wife."

Sirzechs and Ajuka hummed noncommittally. There was silence for a few seconds before it was broken by the latter.

"Do you have any specific plans?"

"Yes. There's a situation in Kyoto I've keeping my eye on. I think we'll get our next lead there," Harry said, referencing the incident during Rias' first Rating Game. "Lord Orion will go under the guise of meeting with Yasaka. Serafall will be coming with me as the Satan of Foreign Affairs."

Ajuka nodded, before another thought occurred to him.

"Now that Lord Orion is a real part of Devil society, does that mean…?"

"Yes, I'm going to assemble my Peerage."

"You have people in mind?" Sirzechs asked curiously.

"A couple. We'll see. Anyway, enough questions. I'm tired, and the ground feels pretty nice."

"Same. See you in a bit, Ajuka."

With that, both Wizard and Satan gave up the fight to stay awake. Within moments, they were both asleep.

Ajuka just sighed in exasperation.

Hours later, an irate Grayfia Lucifuge and an equally-pissed off Surtr Second were retrieved from the pocket dimensions they had been placed in by a very apologetic Harry Potter, who had just woken up from his nap.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

For those of you who aren't fans of politics: don't worry. You won't see as much of that anymore. This was somewhat necessary as Harry needs the political presence of Lord Orion for later arcs.

Sirzechs' Peerage's abilities are slightly modified, and he doesn't have Bahamut. Everyone's magic is different, and Souji cannot use any actual spells at all (he does not host Youkai, either). Souji instead uses his magical energy to enhance his blade.

In the next update, look forward to the first set of Character Interludes! These are our compromise with regards to flashbacks.

As the name suggests, these Interludes are solely dedicated to their titular characters and will usually explain their pasts along with how Harry factors into them. Thus, the main focus will not be on Harry, and they will very often start prior to canon and end by overlapping with recent events in the story. Timestamps will only be used if we can't communicate the relative time period in which something took place, and only if it is relevant.

Curious what happened during Sona v. Riser and Sona v. Rias? Check out Sona's Interlude!

The Arc Interlude will be released on its own. From now on, treat them as any other chapter.

In the Arc Interlude, Ajuka asks his questions and gets full, unedited answers. Whether they were indeed the same questions remains to be seen. After that, look forward to the first original arc, the Confession and Penance Arc!


	17. Interlude - Issei and Vali

**Interlude – Issei Hyoudou and Vali Lucifer**

 **(Rating Games Arc)**

* * *

Vali Lucifer was a descendant of the original Satan Lucifer. He was born to a Devil father and a human mother. By pure chance, he was also born with the Sacred Gear Divine Dividing, one of the thirteen Longinus, the strongest Sacred Gears in existence. When his father discovered this, he developed a fear of his own son that manifested as abuse of him and his mother. Fearing for his life, Vali fled at the earliest opportunity. Distrusting the current administration due his belief that they would return him to his father's custody, he sought refuge in the human world.

Upon discovering his flight, Vali's father immediately had a search party sent out. Sirzechs, having heard of the situation, thought the circumstances a little suspect. Why would the heir to such a prestigious family as the original Lucifer run away? Thus, he had the matter discretely investigated. The results of the investigation made him want to have Vali's father executed for possibly alienating the host of Divine Dividing from the rest of the Devils, but doing so would serve no real purpose but to alleviate his anger and came with the undesirable consequence of angering the Purebloods who supported him.

Sirzechs was forced to bide his time. He was tempted to take charge of the search, but that would be too obvious, his friend Ajuka had told him. Too overt. Instead, keep tabs. Ask for regular reports. Keep an eye and an ear out. It had paid off in an unexpected way. A report that was never meant to be seen by him until it was too late had been delivered to his desk on accident, since he had the same last name as its intended recipient. And so, Sirzechs had decided to patrol the edge of Kuoh with the excuse of making sure the town was safe for his beloved little sister. Nobody suspected a thing. When he came across the search party, a captive Vali Lucifer in tow, he killed each and every single one of them and disposed of the bodies with his Power of Destruction. Ajuka would be able to help him cook up an explanation, he was sure. He then offered the boy sanctuary.

Vali had refused his offer, much to Sirzechs' disappointment, but the Satan had said that he was welcome in Kuoh at any time, and that the town would always be safe for him. The Crimson Satan had departed shortly afterwards, leaving the Devil with a hefty amount of the local currency. Not quite trusting in his words, but also not having much of an option, Vali rented a small apartment at the edge of town to serve as a temporary residence while he conversed with the occupant of his Sacred Gear, which he had awoken only days prior.

Eventually, he decided to travel the world in secret and train himself so that he would never have to fear his father again. Early in his journey, he ran into a human man who had somehow immediately recognized him. Vali had been prepared to flee once more, but instead of trying to capture or kill him, the man had cheerfully informed Vali that he had been declared persona non grata. A report from the deceased members of the search party sent after him had said he was in their custody, but the search party had gone missing before it could be confirmed. The Four Great Satans had concluded that he had somehow single-handedly killed all of them and, rather than send another search party and risk more lives, ordered him exiled from Hell.

Vali's shock had apparently registered in his facial expression, because the man had laughed and congratulated him on escaping his abusive parents, a fact he was not aware was even public knowledge. The man had told him that it wasn't. He then recommended that Vali travel to Great Britain if he felt like globe-trotting. Vali had taken the man's suggestion on a whim since he had no real destination in mind and then forgotten about the man over time.

Their fateful reunion took place almost a decade later, and by then, neither remembered the other.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _ **I am warning you Vali, do not underestimate him.**_

 _I'm telling you Albion, I won't. He's Death._

 _ **He's the MASTER of Death.**_

 _Is there a difference?_

Vali heard a tired sigh from the occupant of his Sacred Gear as he continued walking down the street towards his destination. As soon as he turned up ahead, it should be in view. His excitement and anticipation heightened further.

 _Alright, alright. The Master of Death. Are you happy?_

 _ **You are fortunate he does not care for his titles.**_

 _The more you tell me about this guy, the more I think we'll get along great. Alright, time to find and challenge Death!_

Another tired sigh accompanied his footsteps as the silver-haired teenager rounded the corner and saw the school he had been directed to. Grinning widely, he confidently strode towards it, barely restraining himself from just dashing as fast as he could.

When he finally arrived at the gates, Vali took the time to very carefully examine the warding scheme to make sure he wasn't going to be subjected to anything nasty for entering unannounced. He had informed the guards stationed around the perimeter of the town of his intent when he first encountered them, but received only puzzled looks in return. After a few wasted minutes of trying to gain entry, Vali reined in his mounting frustration at Albion's urging and politely requested directions to meet with the ruling Devil. Surely, he or she would know where to find Death, or at least where he worked.

The guard Devil he had spent the past five minutes arguing with had relaxed slightly and told him to hurry with his business after giving him directions to Kuoh Academy, which coincidentally was exactly where Vali wanted to go. He would be trusted to find his own way there, as the guards were on the lookout for suspicious activity in the wake of another incident about a week earlier. Vali had a good idea of what it was, since he had played a significant part in orchestrating the Hero Faction's part in the assault. How his random request to meet the ruling Devil didn't qualify as "suspicious," he wasn't sure, but nor did he really care.

All of that was unimportant. What _was_ important was that he was here now. And Death waited within. His greatest duel, the ultimate test of his strength, was somewhere nearby, he could feel it! Then, an idle thought occurred to him.

 _Does Death work on Sundays?_

 _ **People die every day of the week, Vali.**_

 _You know what I meant._

 _ **Perhaps you should have made an appointment?**_

 _Meh. I'll just ask the ruling Devil if he's not here._

Ignoring Albion's suggestion to "knock" on the wards, Vali boldly stepped forth, only to find that the wards were currently inactive. Were they still being repaired from the invasion? It was possible, he supposed. Again, irrelevant. Taking a deep breath, the wielder of Divine Dividing shouted his challenge to the world.

"DEATH!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The last thing Vali Lucifer remembered was his mentor yelling at him about something, followed by a really bright flash of light from the holy light spear Death had thrown at him. What was that about, anyway? Since when could Death use holy energy? Also, his body ached all over for some reason.

The Devil picked himself off of the ground and idly noted that he was wearing his Scale Mail. It had clearly taken damage, since parts of it were missing. With a thought, he disengaged his Balance Breaker, but kept his Sacred Gear's wings.

 _Albion, you there?_

 _ **Good morning, Vali,**_ the Vanishing Dragon's voice sounded through their mental link. _ **Or good evening, as it were.**_

 _Yeah, hey. What happened?_

 _ **Well, Vali. I suppose congratulations are in order. You are now a conceptual magic caster.**_

 _I am?_

Vali thought back. His memories were returning slowly. He had challenged Death to a duel, accepted his three conditions, and then proceeded to actually fight the man. The battle was everything he could have hoped for. No matter what he tried, it didn't seem to faze his opponent. What's more, he could tell Death had clearly been holding back. Vali knew one of the items on his immediate training menu was to research how his Devil magic had been copied. Then, he would train until he could cast it even faster than Death had been able to.

The teen stopped himself before his thoughts wandered too far. He was apparently a conceptual magic caster now. What was Albion talking about? Fast forwarding through the admittedly short battle, Vali arrived at the instant he had decided to trust in his mentor, not that he ever distrusted the dragon.

 _Huh. I guess I am! That's great! So, that means I'm one step closer to mastering it, right?_

 _ **Indeed. The next step is to practice keeping it active for longer periods of time while reflecting multiple things. Start with physical objects.**_

 _Got it._

 _ **Do not underestimate conceptual magic, Vali. It is the most difficult and the most dangerous magic to cast. That you were able to in your duel speaks volumes of your abilities.**_

Vali nodded. He had heard all of this from the Vanishing Dragon prior to his duel. He trusted his mentor implicitly, viewing the dragon that had helped him survive on his own for the past several years as a father-figure of sorts. From him, Vali had learned the proper time and place for pride and confidence, and when it was more prudent to practice humility and caution. The boy shuddered to think what would have happened if he had only paid attention when Albion was teaching him about combat. Still, he couldn't stop the boost in his ego from hearing the dragon's praise.

 _Thank you, Albion. And don't worry, I'm taking it seriously. We'll see how long I can hold it when I get back to base._

 _ **Mm. But, I will warn you now. The road to mastery is endless. Just as you cannot achieve perfection, it is also impossible for you to achieve mastery over a concept.**_

 _What? Oh, is it because only one entity can use a concept at a time?_

 _ **It has nothing to do with usage, Vali, and everything to do with nuance.**_

Vali blinked in confusion.

 _Huh? But, what about the Master of Death?_

 _ **Harry's secrets are his own to share. Speaking of which…**_

"Ahem."

"GAH!"

Vali jumped as he spun around, a magical blast ready in each hand. Nobody was there. He was further startled when he felt his control on his magic wrested from him. Counter magic? He transitioned into full alert and was about to reactivate his Balance Breaker before he was stopped by Albion.

 _ **Peace, Vali. Look closely.**_

Taking a deep breath, Vali cautiously looked around. He saw nothing with his normal sight, but his magical senses told him someone else was in the seemingly empty room.

"Who's there?!" he demanded.

When he received no response, the teen's eyes narrowed dangerously. However, he remembered what his mentor had told him. Taking another deep breath, Vali cast his senses out. He wasn't quite used to sensing someone only by their magical aura just yet, being more accustomed to using his senses to help him avoid magical attacks, which were much more obvious. Still, when his senses informed him of a familiar feeling of power, he calmed down and straightened his posture from the combative stance he'd sunken down to.

"Death, you can stop hiding now."

With a smile, Harry ended the invisibility spell he'd woven over himself. As soon as he did, Vali's gaze focused on him intently. The Wizard was slightly surprised when the boy bowed in deference.

"Thank you for the duel, and for taking care of me afterwards, Death," he said respectfully. "I hope you will continue to entertain my requests for future duels."

"Enough with the formalities, Vali. You can call me Harry. And I'll be happy to duel you any time. We'll be seeing plenty of each other soon enough."

Vali raised his head with some confusion.

"…Harry?"

"That's my name."

"I… see. What did you mean by your last statement?"

"I have a proposal for you, Vali Lucifer. Well, to be more accurate, I have a proposal for you on behalf of someone else."

Harry's smile widened.

"Tell me, what do you know about Lord Orion?"

"The elusive 'Noble Tyrant'? I admit I am not as informed as I could be, but I would have to be rather out of touch if I didn't know the mastermind behind the new Evil Pieces."

"Indeed. To be honest, he and I are… associates."

"Truly? Did you help him with the creation of the new types of Pieces?"

"I may have contributed slightly. But, that's not the point. In actuality, I am posing as the King, or rather the Wizard, of his Peerage."

Vali's eyes bugged out of his head.

"What?! You're in his Peerage? And Wizard? Is that what Albion was talking about?"

"No. The official classification for the type of magic caster I am is wizard. As you know, I am the last of my kind. The others died hundreds of years ago."

"Oh."

"Also, I'm not bound to him. We have a contract of sorts," Harry lied, giving the cover story he had explained to Albion prior Vali waking up. The dragon would help him smooth over any inconsistencies with Vali's knowledge and answer any questions the Sacred Gear wielder might have. "In return for granting him knowledge of a lost magic system, which he used to develop the new Pieces, he gave me a set modified for my use."

"The rumored Tyrant Pieces?"

"The very same. His Peerage is actually mine," Harry admitted.

Vali froze.

 _Albion, how difficult would it be for me to get a set?_

 _ **You're entitled to one as a High-Class Devil. I imagine all you'd have to do is ask.**_

 _I meant the Tyrant Pieces. Or at least the Noble ones._

 _ **Why are you asking me? I'm not a Devil.**_

 _Oh. Right. Hmm. Maybe I should win the next Rating Tournament. The champion is given a set automatically…_

 _ **Why the sudden interest?**_

 _I wish to assemble a Peerage of my own and challenge Death to a Rating Game!_

Vali swore he heard the sound of his father-figure slamming his head against a hard surface.

"As amusing as it is to listen to the two of you, perhaps you should let me finish."

"You can hear my thoughts?"

"I can hear your soul," Harry corrected. He had very limited mind-reading capabilities too, but the soul spoke truer than the mind anyway. "Anyway, as I was saying, the Tyrant Pieces belong to me, and I am their King. The actual King Piece was modified into a Wizard Piece specifically for me. It functions the same way though."

Vali paid close attention as Harry materialized the Piece in his hands. It was an odd mixture of black and white rather than the usual red and black of normal Evil Pieces, or the red and white of the Noble Pieces. Rather than depict a traditional chess King, the Piece was instead in the shape of a robed figure wearing a flowing cloak with both hands held close, palms upturned. In one hand rested a stick with a grip of some sort attached, and in the other rested a featureless round stone.

"I am the Master of my Peerage and its King. And I would like to extend an invitation to you. I understand if you need some time to think about-"

"I'll do it!"

Harry looked at the boy with a bemused expression. He had expected much more resistance than this. He hadn't really been listening to Vali's soul or to the Sacred Gear's occupant, so he had missed Albion's insistence that the boy accept the offer.

"Really? You don't even know what position you'd be."

"I don't care. Albion says you're my best bet to unlock my full potential. That's all I need."

Harry's expression softened into a smile. The teenager's relationship with the dragon really was a remarkable thing.

"Very well. Come with me to my office so we can have some privacy. On the way, I'll tell you what the third condition of our duel was…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Rise, Vali Lucifer, Dragon of my Peerage," Harry spoke as the bonding process finished. The words weren't really necessary, but he was feeling dramatic. It was his first Peerage member after all. His cloak, ever the fan of theatrics, expressed its approval.

Vali stood from his previously-kneeling position.

"Thank you, Master. I swear you will not regret this."

"Oh, not you too!"

Vali blinked in confusion.

"Either call me Harry, or… Actually, wait." Harry knitted his eyebrows. "I suppose in this case, it would be beneficial since it would prevent others from noticing… Bugger."

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. Call me Master. When you are in the presence of the Noble Tyrant Orion, you must address him as such as well to maintain the illusion that the Pieces are still his."

"Understood, Master."

Harry shook off the feeling of unease at being addressed by yet another individual as Master and continued speaking.

"How do you feel?"

Vali looked down at himself. Truth be told, he didn't feel that much different, but Albion, who was more in tune with his powers, informed him that he had indeed received the typical power boost associated with the bonding process. His reserves were just already so big that the small increase from the Dragon Piece, which he had been told was a fairy chess piece that combined the movement of the Pawn and Knight, had not contributed much. On the bright side, Vali was looking forward to practicing with his newfound Knight speed. He might actually be able to travel at a fraction of the speed of light now!

"Albion tells me the Piece works as intended. A very small portion of my energy was siphoned and given to you, but I did not receive any of your magic in return. Instead, I got what we think was the normal power boost."

"Hm. As expected. I've gained knowledge of your Devil magic, but none of the abilities of your Sacred Gear," Harry said contemplatively. "Well, congratulations on being my first Peerage member."

Vali puffed his chest out proudly.

"Since the Dragon is a modified fairy Piece, its true abilities are unknown. You may be able to Jump and Promote, or only one, or neither. It's also possible that the draconic nature of Divine Dividing may interact with the Piece unexpectedly. You'll be happy to hear that I encourage you to experiment, particularly in active combat."

"I can hardly wait!"

"I can tell," Harry said wryly. "Be careful with the assignment I gave you. The Khaos Brigade is dangerous." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Especially whatever Ophis is up to. I highly doubt the Infinite Dragon God is truly behind the organization's current objectives."

"Don't worry, Master," Vali replied confidently. "I will exercise the utmost caution. And if I find that Ophis is in danger or something, I'll tell you. We'll rescue her together with my team. I'm sure they're loyal to me."

"Good," Harry replied. Then, something the teenager said registered with him. He looked at his Dragon in confusion. "Wait, 'her'?"

"Yes. The Infinite Dragon God is female. She appears as a prepubescent girl with long black hair dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit. Instead of the chest portion of the outfit, she wears two pieces of black tape in an 'X'-shape over each of her nipples."

"What," Harry deadpanned.

Vali returned Harry's look of confusion.

"You didn't know?"

"Be serious, Vali. Leave your fetishes out of this."

"I am being serious!" Vali protested. "Ophis is a little girl dressed like some pedophile's twisted wet dream!"

The two of them looked at each other, with Harry repeatedly trying to read Vali's soul for falsehood, while Vali just became more and more uneasy with how his new master seemed to look at him increasingly judgmentally. Having determined Vali believed in everything he was saying with absolute certainty, Harry changed the angle of his questioning.

"How sure are you that the person you claim to be Ophis is actually the Dragon God?" Harry asked.

"I've felt her power, and Albion can vouch for me too. It was definitely the power of Infinity," Vali replied. Knowing Harry was listening, the Vanishing Dragon confirmed his host's words.

Harry went silent as he considered the facts. A little girl wielding the power of Infinity led the Khaos Brigade. She identified herself as Ophis. If that was true, then why did he… she? It? What was the Dragon God's game? Was she actually behind the actions of the Hero Faction? And if so, why?

"Change of plans, Vali. Go back to your team and keep a close watch on the situation. If an opportunity arises where Ophis is alone, contact me via our bond. Albion can show you how. I need to meet with her and confirm something."

"Got it."

"Otherwise, leave her alone. We'll come into conflict eventually anyway."

Harry looked at the clock on his wall. It was about time.

"You're dismissed, Vali. Thank you."

"No, Master! Thank you! For this opportunity and for agreeing to help train me!"

Harry nodded.

"My pleasure. Now then, how would you like to meet your future rival?"

Vali and Albion grinned viciously in anticipation.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Issei opened his eyes blearily. It was dark out, which meant it was probably too early for him to be awake. With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. His movement took him off the edge of the couch he had been lying on.

"Eh?"

He didn't have time to say anything else before his body hit the floor. He groaned in pain as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. His body felt unusually heavy and lethargic even though he wasn't physically tired. He could also think clearly. Belatedly, Issei recognized the feeling as that of being magically exhausted. He was used to feeling it after training with his Dragon Shot attack, which was still his best offensive option. Which reminded him, he really needed to learn something else. Maybe he could ask Harry or Azazel?

"You rang?"

"GAH!"

Contrary to his actions of the past minute or so, Issei's lashed out with a punch in the direction of the voice so fast an ordinary human would have been hard-pressed to avoid it. Like every time before, Harry redirected it easily.

"Good evening, Issei," the Wizard greeted.

"…Harry-san?"

Issei regarded his school principal with some apprehension and confusion, before finally taking note of his surroundings. The two of them were standing in the Occult Research Club's main room. The room seemed slightly different than he remembered it being, but he attributed it to his sleepy mind playing tricks on him.

"That's me. Glad you remembered to call me by my first name. Now then, I know you've just woken up, but I need to speak with you and Ddraig for a sec. Hold still."

"Huh?"

Before he could move away, Issei found himself restrained by Harry's hands on his shoulders, the man's bright green eyes staring into his own. The world faded away around him. When he could see again, Issei hurriedly brushed the other man's hands off and backed away. His backpedaling was stopped abruptly by a hard, uneven wall behind him. He paid it no mind until it moved.

Issei fell flat on his face when the wall behind him pushed him forward suddenly. About to protest, he turned backwards, and came face-to-face with a big, red, scaly thing with lots of sharp teeth. Said thing did not look pleased with him, but was actively hostile towards Harry, growling lowly when it turned to the man.

"D-d-dragon?" Issei said in a combination of fear and awe. The dragon's mood seemed to brighten when the teen spoke. It puffed out its chest proudly at having elicited the proper reaction from at least one of the other people present.

Harry stepped forward and hauled the teen to his feet.

"Issei, meet Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon. He's sealed inside your Sacred Gear."

"What?" the boy choked out.

" **Hmph. What a pathetic display. I expect better of my host, Issei Hyoudou."**

Upon hearing his voice, realization finally set in.

"HOLY SHIT! DDRAIG, YOU'RE A DRAGON?!"

" **We've met before, if briefly. Do you not remember me?"**

"You mean when I was knocked out? I thought I was hallucinating!"

This caused the dragon to falter a bit. Harry fought valiantly to hold his laughter back, but a few chuckles slipped out.

"What did you think the voice in your head was?" Harry asked amusedly.

"I thought he was just my Sacred Gear? Like, y'know, a talking armored glove?"

" **GLOVE?"** Ddraig's indignant outburst was ignored.

"It's called a 'gauntlet', Issei. What about the 'Dragon' in Dragon Shot?"

"I thought it sounded cool?"

"Did you name it?"

"Ddraig helped."

"With which part?"

"Uh. He wanted to call it the 'Dragon Buster', but the attack didn't really scream 'Buster' to me, so I changed that. I figure when I make a more powerful version, I can call that the 'Dragon Buster'!"

" **I approved."**

Harry looked at the two of them, standing side by side with their chests puffed out.

"…You two were made for each other." Ignoring the effect his words had on the teenage boy and dragon, Harry continued. "Anyway, I didn't bring you here just to meet Ddraig. I want to talk to you both-"

" **I refuse. Get out."**

"-about your interactions with each other. I've already had part of this discussion with Ddraig, but Issei, you've reached the point where you should start taking your responsibilities more seriously as the future Red Dragon Emperor."

"The what?"

" **That's my title! Stop giving it away to others!"**

"The Red Dragon Emperor. It's the title given to those who eventually become competent users of the Boosted Gear. Ddraig has a… bad track record with his past hosts who have received the title, since he often pushes them to unlock powers they aren't ready to handle yet."

The big red dragon tried to swat Harry away, but was frozen in stasis when he began moving, a light sheen of magic covering him. Issei looked at the immobilized dragon in shock, before his attention was drawn back to the Wizard who acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"So far, you've only scratched the surface of the Boosted Gear's potential, but you're about ready for the next step. During the fight with Kokabiel's forces, Ddraig was forced to save your life at the very end by using an ability your body wasn't ready to handle yet. Now, I'd say you can start training to use it."

"What ability?" Issei asked excitedly. He had just been about to ask Harry or Ddraig for new training ideas, and this practically fell into his lap. It was like the world was listening to his inner thoughts!

"It's called the Over Boost, and it's the first step to unlocking your Balance Breaker."

"The Over Boost… It sounds badass! How do I learn it? What does it do?"

"Ask Ddraig. Better yet, ask Azazel. If you want my suggestion, start with physical conditioning. Your powers are dependent on your base parameters, after all. As for what it does, it instantly boosts you to your limits and speeds up your perception."

"Uh…"

"It turns you into Superman and makes the world go in slow motion."

"WOAH! REALLY?! Alright! I'm gonna train until I drop!"

"That's a good attitude, but before you go about doing that, we need to have a discussion."

Issei looked at the other man curiously. Harry's demeanor was laid-back, not at all projecting any aura of seriousness. But, Issei respected the man's opinion and his power. One look at Ddraig was all he needed to be willing to accept the Wizard's advice.

"Okay. A discussion about what?"

"Your goals. Issei, what do you want out of life?"

"I want my very own harem!" Issei responded instantly. Harry laughed.

"I applaud your honesty and enthusiasm, but that's not what I'm talking about. We can use that as an example though. What's your immediate goal? If you want a harem, who do you want to be the first member?"

"RIAS-SENPAI!"

"Have you given any thought as to how you'll convince her to join?"

"Yes!" Issei replied, to Harry's surprise. "You see, when Buchou reincarnated me, she asked me the same thing! Err, my about my goal, that is. And when I told her, she said I could get a harem if I become a High-Class Devil! I figure that since she's a High-Class Devil too, and a Pureblood heiress, I'd have to at least prove myself worthy of her!"

"That's… actually well-reasoned. Okay, how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well, the first step is to become more powerful, obviously! Devils respect power! As soon as I'm powerful enough, I can take a promotion exam to become a High-Class Devil. Then, since High-Class Devils get their own Evil Pieces, I can start making my Peerage. Then, I can challenge others to Rating Games to climb up the social ladder until I'm high enough that she'll be impressed. Then, once that happens, I can finally date her officially and ask her to marry me! And since plenty of High-Class Devils have harems, she'll be fine if I get more wives! She even said so!"

"Rias said she'd be fine with marrying you and you having more women on the side?"

"Not on the side! They'd all be part of my harem! Obviously, Rias-senpai will be my first wife, but I'll marry all of them."

"That's a rather elaborate plan. What if she falls in love with someone else while you're in the middle of it?"

"I won't let her! I'll fight off anyone who tries!" Issei claimed.

"You can't stop her from falling in love, Issei," Harry scolded. "It would be cruel to block her, too. The process of becoming a High-Class Devil could take you years, or even decades. Are you going to make her wait that long to feel loved by someone else? By an equal?"

"Well… when you put it that way… What if I train extra hard? With your help and Ddraig's help, I can become the Red Dragon Emperor that much faster, right? Then Rias-senpai wouldn't have to wait that long!"

"And therein lies your problem. I'm not going to fault you for your goals, Issei. Rather, I respect your dedication and I know you mean well for the women you plan to seduce in the future. But, your most immediate goal is still years away at the earliest, if you follow your current plans."

Issei deflated a bit, but refused to be discouraged.

"Then, all I have to do is set a different goal, right? What if my next goal is just to master Over Boost?"

"You're headed in the right direction, Issei, but that's not why we're having this discussion. In fact, I don't think you should change your goals at all. Instead, I want you to change your mindset."

"My… mindset?"

Harry fixed the boy with the first serious look of the conversation. Issei paid close attention.

"You aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, but you're earnest, and you're hard-working. You have morals, questionable as they may be by human standards, but you're not human anymore so that's irrelevant. Becoming a Devil has solved that particular problem for you. So, Issei, tell me again what your goals are."

"I want to get a harem, and I want Rias-senpai to be its first member," Issei replied dutifully.

"Why Rias? She may be beautiful, but she's not the easiest target by far. I would say Akeno or many of the others around you are beautiful too, and making one of them your first would be far simpler, and faster, too. In fact, you wouldn't even have to be a High-Class Devil."

"But, I want Rias to be first…"

"Why?"

"Because I love her!" the teenage boy proclaimed.

"Why, Issei?"

"She saved me! She was nice to me in the academy! She smiled at me even when pretty much everyone else looked at me with disgust!"

"I doubt that's all, Issei. If the real reason is private, I'll stop asking."

Issei faltered a bit. He shifted uncomfortably, but soon began talking again. Next to the two of them, Ddraig's form quivered slightly, but his host didn't notice.

"Rias-senpai was nice to me. She's always smiling at us, even when it's hard. When she heard about the contract, she still smiled at the rest of us," he said. "She told me that her dream was to fall in love and get married, and that she would give everything she had to that person even if that person didn't give her everything in return. I… thought that was kind of unfair."

By now, Harry's eyes had softened. Ddraig's body twitched.

"I mean, why wouldn't she worthy of everything? She's a great person! She's beautiful, she's kind-hearted, she's like a princess, for crying out loud! But she said, that since she was a Pureblood, and the heir, she was expected to marry another Pureblood or at least a really high-up Devil. So, she's okay if she's part of a harem since most male Devils that fit would probably have one."

"I think she deserves more," Issei said.

"And you think you can give her more?" Harry asked. "Even though you want a harem too?"

"I… I've always wanted a harem of my own. When Rias-senpai told me she'd be okay with one, I was happy. Like, really happy. But, then she told me everything else and why she was okay with it. Then… I wasn't so happy anymore."

"But you still want one."

"Of course I do! It's every man's dream!"

Harry disagreed, since he was fine with just Serafall, but he didn't point that out.

"But, when I ask her to marry me, I'll ask again."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I'll ask her if she's really okay with it."

" **And?"**

"If she says no, then I'll give up."

Issei was startled when a heavy stomp lifted him off the ground slightly. He turned at the freed form of Ddraig with wide eyes, having not noticed the huge beast break out of his magically-induced paralysis. The dragon lowered his head until it was almost centimeters away from Issei.

" **You'll do no such thing. No host of mine will ever settle for less than his greatest ambitions."**

Issei was so shocked he didn't respond.

" **Listen carefully, brat. Every Red Dragon Emperor, myself included, has achieved greatness. To do anything less would shame the legacies we've left behind, and I will not tolerate such mediocrity. If that thing says you will become one, then I am regrettably forced to accept the inevitable."**

"B-but-"

" **BUT NOTHING!"** the dragon roared. **"You want a harem? You will have scores of women at your beck and call! You want fame and fortune? We will engrave our names in history and claim the riches of every nation in the world! Do you have the desire to rule the world? We will conquer Heaven and Hell together!"**

"But Rias-senpai-"

" **Your pathetic love interest's wishes matter not!"**

"HEY! Don't call her pathetic!" Issei retorted furiously.

" **All that matters is what you want!"**

"Well, I want to make her as happy as I possibly can! How about that!"

" **Then she will be the happiest woman alive."**

"I- Huh?"

Issei paused as his mind processed the dragon's abrupt shift in tone.

" **Steel your resolve, Issei Hyoudou., for there is nothing that I cannot accomplish so long as my host wills it. Sealed as I am, my powers are restricted only by you."**

"Ah, you're so full of it, Ddraig," Harry interrupted. "Admit it, you're just a sucker for romance."

" **Hmph,"** the dragon huffed irritably. **"I have no idea what you're talking about. And I doubt you possess the capability to process such an emotion as love."**

"Now you're just being rude. And childish."

" **I'll have you know I'm at least half your age!"**

"Wanna bet?"

" **You're on!"**

Issei watched as the serious atmosphere almost visibly dissolved into pieces once Harry began goading Ddraig. He had to admit, he was also slightly curious just how old the Wizard was.

"I swear by my magic that what I am about to say is true. So mote it be." A brief flash of light. "I can tell the age of your soul. And it tells me that you are not even a quarter of my soul's accumulated age."

" **Nooooo! How could this be?!"**

The dragon slumped down theatrically, his entire body lowering itself until he was lying flat on the floor of the weird barren landscape. Issei would have found the sight hilarious if the dragon's actions hadn't shook the ground so hard he had trouble remaining upright.

"Don't worry, child. With age comes wisdom. Take it from me, you have a bright future ahead of you."

Harry's words did nothing to lift the dragon's spirits as he remained on the ground.

"Well, mission accomplished, I'd say," the Wizard stated suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked.

"Ask Ddraig. I'm off. Oh, and Ddraig, expect a visit from your old rival sooon!"

With that, Harry Potter vanished just in time for him to miss the Welsh Dragon's sudden exclamation.

" **WHAT?! NO! I'M NOT READY!"**

Issei stared uncomprehendingly as the dragon proceeded to go through various stages of what seemed like a mental breakdown, which was interesting to watch as his expression somehow managed to portray the emotions associated with them. Issei could pick out shock, despair, anxiousness, and a hint of resignation towards the end.

"Uhh… Ddraig? You okay?"

" **What? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I'm just about to suffer the greatest humiliation of my life."**

Again, Issei was left dumbfounded by the dragon's reply.

"What do you mean?"

" **It's nothing you should concern yourself with. Even with that thing's interference, you are far from ready for a confrontation with my rival, no matter how much I wish you were."**

"Your rival? You have a rival?"

" **The Red Dragon Emperor has a rival. The White Dragon Emperor. We are fated to clash until one of us emerges victorious."**

"Have you fought in the past?"

" **Of course!"**

"Who won?"

" **It varies. Sometimes, my host wins. Others, his does."**

"Then, if someone has already won, why are you still fighting?"

" **Because we refuse to give up, obviously."**

Issei did not think the reasoning was as obvious as Ddraig made it seem.

"What are you fighting over?"

" **A difference in philosophy. I believe the path to true strength is through self-improvement. I developed my Boost magic to prove the righteousness of my chosen path."**

Finding the dragon to be unusually cooperative, Issei ventured another question.

"What does your rival think?"

" **Albion believes the path to strength is through the strength of others."**

"I, uh, I think I agree with him. No offense."

" **You misunderstand. His Divide magic allows him to drain power from others."**

"What? That's horrible!"

" **It is also extremely effective. Whereas my magic doubles my strength, his halves the strength of his opponent. The result is, with half of his opponent's strength combined with his own, he will always be stronger than whoever he is facing. Truly, he is a worthy rival for one such as I."**

The brown-haired teenager just stared.

"You two are nuts, you know that?"

" **Your mind is simply too underdeveloped to comprehend my greatness."**

"Did you just call me stupid?"

" **You prove my point."**

"HEY!"

Ignoring the boy's complaint, Ddraig flexed his wings and raised himself from the ground to his full height, towering over Issei.

" **Enough. If my rival is truly on his way here, you will be better served being unconscious. His misguided sense of honor will prevent him from attacking you while you are unable to defend yourself."**

"What?"

" **Luckily, that thing's interference has strengthened your soul enough to withstand the effects of more of my power. Brace yourself."**

"What?"

Without bothering to respond properly, Ddraig focused for a couple of seconds, and Issei's mental body winked out of existence as he was rendered unconscious by the occupant of his Sacred Gear. Despite being unable to respond, Issei was still able to hear the dragon's parting words as his mind was overwhelmed by the release of power.

" **You'll thank me later, brat."**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So, this is the future Red Dragon Emperor?"

 _ **So it would seem.**_

"He doesn't look like much."

 _ **Normally, I would warn you that appearances can be deceiving. But, given the Master of Death's warnings, I fear your suspicions are correct. At least, for now.**_

Vali Lucifer stood in the Occult Research Club after having been dropped off by Harry. The man left shortly after the two of them had arrived at the doorway leading into the main waiting room, saying he had other work to do. Vali had then proceeded into the room alone and immediately found the unconscious form of his future rival on the couch. A cursory examination revealed the cause as severe magical exhaustion combined with some sort of mental trauma. The silver-haired teen figured he had been training with magic until recently and accidentally knocked himself out from overexertion. A rookie mistake.

"At least he seems to be serious about his training, if a bit reckless," Vali commented idly.

 _ **Why are you speaking aloud?**_

"I feel like it. So, what do I need to do again?"

 _ **Nothing. Ddraig should recognize my presence now that it is no longer being hidden.**_

Just as Albion finished speaking, a red glow started emanating from the sleeping boy's left hand. Moments later, the Boosted Gear gauntlet had materialized of its own accord.

" **Albion,"** a rough voice sounded. Vali thought it sounded similar, yet slightly different than the dragon sealed in his Sacred Gear.

" **Ddraig,"** Albion's voice responded as the wings of Divine Dividing manifested on Vali's back.

"So, you're the Red Dragon Emperor?" the teen asked.

" **The very same."**

"Your host doesn't seem like much."

" **Neither do you."**

"What did you say?!"

 _ **Stay calm, Vali.**_

Vali did indeed calm down when he heard the voice of his mentor echo through his mind.

 _Right, sorry._

" **Hmph. You may be powerful for your age, but do not make the mistake of thinking yourself my equal."**

"You say that, but as you are, I could easily kill you through your host, even if you forced him into Juggernaut Drive."

" **Hoh? You sound confident."**

" **He speaks the truth, Ddraig,"** Albion interjected. **"My host has already achieved his Balance Breaker and has already cast Reflect."**

" **Tch."** Vali smirked as he heard the other dragon click his tongue. **"So you have more power than expected. Still, Reflect will not save you from my own magic."**

"Try it, if you dare," the teen taunted. There was silence for a few tense seconds as Vali braced himself to defend against whatever the Welsh Dragon might try with his host unconscious and unable to stop him. Eventually, the dragon broke the silence with an irritated grunt.

"… **Regrettably, my host is being monitored by a being even I cannot defy."**

"You mean Master Harry?"

" **You call that thing your master? Has it used its magic on your soul?"**

"I'm part of his Peerage!" Vali said proudly. "He promised to help train me!"

" **You are a fool. True, you will likely achieve great heights under its tutelage, but it will own you for eternity and there is nothing you can do about it."**

Vali was slightly confused by the dragon's wording. Did he not know how a Peerage worked?

" **You are prejudiced against him, Ddraig,"** Albion said.

" **And you are far too trusting!"** Ddraig retorted. **"He could condemn you to a true death at any time!"**

" **But he has not in the centuries we have known each other, even at my worst. Harry Potter is not a threat to us."**

" **It is a threat to all of existence, the same as the End or Apocalypse!"**

"I don't understand," Vali cut in. "How is the Master of Death a threat to all existence?"

" **Of course you don't. You don't know what it truly is,"** Ddraig said.

"Enlighten me."

" **Ddraig,"** Albion warned. **"Vali, I've said this before, and I will not repeat myself again. Harry's secrets are his own to reveal. Do not ask either of us or anyone else to betray them."**

Despite his curiosity, Vali immediately nodded.

"I understand. I will ask him directly then."

 _ **That is more than acceptable.**_

Ddraig was not one to be so easily dismissed or deterred, especially by his rival.

" **I warn you now, future White Dragon Emperor. Death is not who you think it is. Make of that what you will, and speak your business before I grow tired of your presence."**

Vali could feel Albion's form shifting about angrily within his Sacred Gear, but the dragon didn't say anything further or remark on what Ddraig had said.

"I'm just here to meet my future rival, and to tell you that I will be the one to end your rivalry. Naturally, I will prove my mentor right."

" **Hmph. Big words. Our conflict has lasted centuries. What makes you think you will prove anything, even if you win?"**

"Albion told me what you're fighting over. I respect and even agree with your opinion that self-improvement is indeed a path to true strength."

" **But?"**

"But, true strength exists in more than one form. I will prove that the true strength that Albion seeks is the superior to the true strength that you seek."

" **You presume to reach the heights that we aspired to? Hah!"**

"I don't presume anything. The Master of Death has expressed his confidence in me that I will become the strongest White Dragon Emperor yet, a sentiment that Albion also agrees with. Thus, I am the greatest example of the product of his philosophy."

" **You will never be our equals, boy."**

"That's where you're wrong," Vali denied. "I know the secret of Juggernaut Drive."

Ddraig remained silent.

"It's incomplete, isn't it? Not a single wielder of either the Boosted Gear or Divine Dividing has ever mastered Juggernaut Drive, because it is an incomplete Balance Breaker evolution that feeds on the user's soul instead of reinforcing it. Well, I've come up with a solution."

" **Oh? Albion?"** For the first time in their conversation, Ddraig showed genuine interest. His question to his rival had a hopeful undertone to it.

" **He's telling the truth, Ddraig,"** Albion confirmed. **"With the help of Harry Potter, Vali has developed the complete Juggernaut Drive."**

" **It helped you?"**

"Yes. On one condition." The third condition of their duel. "I have to share it with you too, when your host is ready for it."

Ddraig was surprised. The being calling itself Harry Potter had helped his rival's host develop a complete Balance Breaker evolution, despite knowing its intended effects?

"It's tentatively being called the Empyreal Release. When activated, it will temporarily unseal both you and Albion. You'll still be bound to return to your Sacred Gears after it's deactivated, but while you're out, you'll have access to all of your abilities."

" **Truly?"** There was no hiding the hope and excitement in Ddraig's voice now.

" **Truly. Harry Potter has already helped Vali to demonstrate it once, although he was only able to maintain my form for a brief moment. But in that moment, I was free."**

"… **I suppose I can tolerate its presence long enough to achieve my own freedom. Then, we will be able to stage our greatest battle yet!"**

Vali smirked.

"Like I was saying. I will end your conflict. Master has told me that he expects me to be able to use it briefly within months, and maintain it for a full hour within a year."

" **So soon?"**

"He also suspects your host will be able to do the same in roughly the same time frame, with your help."

Ddraig paused. The gem on the Boosted Gear dimmed ever so slightly before it flared, brighter than ever.

" **Hmph. So this was its plan all along. Fine, I accept your terms. I will train my host in preparation for our battle, Albion."**

" **And I will await you on the battlefield, Ddraig."**

" _We_ will be waiting," Vali corrected.

" **Still, you presume yourself to be our equals?"**

"Even if I can't defeat you, Ddraig, your host is another story."

That got the dragon to pause.

" **I see. Yes, I see it now. It will be a battle for the ages! The two Heavenly Dragons, reborn! Their hosts, fighting alongside them! Yes, indeed! You! Boy! What is your name?"**

"I am Vali Lucifer. Remember it, Y Ddraig Goch, for it is the name of the person who will defeat you alongside your rival!" Vali's comment was enthusiastically backed by Albion, who himself was caught up in the moment.

" **Very well! Vali Lucifer, my host is called Issei Hyoudou. I will train him, and when he is ready, we will return to you to learn the secrets of the Empyreal Release. And then…"**

" **Then, we will fight once more, brother,"** Albion finished.

" **Indeed we will. And we will finally settle our dispute which was interrupted so long ago."**

Ddraig and Albion laughed together, with Vali joining in. For the first time in a long time, the dragons' laughter was genuine and harmonious in purpose, both of them equally excited by the prospect of being free from their divine restraints, even if temporarily.

Through it all, Issei slept peacefully, ignorant of the destined fight he would eventually find himself involved in. When he eventually woke, he would wonder why Ddraig was suddenly being so much more helpful than before.


	18. Interlude - Q & A

**Interlude – Questions and Answers**

 **(Rating Games Arc)**

* * *

Ajuka cornered Harry after the latter was finished being chewed out by Sirzechs' Queen. When the Wizard caught sight of the Satan, he smiled knowingly, though he was also visibly tired. Ajuka was almost tempted to let him rest for a while, but if he did, it was likely Serafall would keep the man occupied until it was time for them to leave.

"What can I do for you, Ajuka?"

"Harry. I was hoping we could have that talk you promised me about a month ago."

The Wizard's smile dropped off his face.

"It hasn't been a month yet."

"You'll be busy pretty soon. I figured we might as well get it over with so you can focus on your business in Kyoto. Although, if you're sure you can make time for me over the next couple of days, I can wait."

The offer wasn't genuine and both of them knew it.

"You swore a magical oath."

"That you can release me from."

"Doing so would release me from mine as well."

"I trust you to be as honest as necessary with me."

Harry quirked an eyebrow.

"You want me to be 'as honest as necessary'?"

"I _want_ you to be honest, period. I'm _okay_ with you being as honest as you feel is necessary to answer my questions to my satisfaction."

"How will I know if I'm successful?"

"I'll let you know."

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Harry sighed.

"Do you have a place in mind?"

"My office should be empty around now."

"Lead the way."

The two men departed for the main government building in Lilith.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ajuka was the first into his office. He sat down at his desk and offered Harry a chair across from him, but the Wizard declined, instead swapping the proffered seat with his armchair from Serafall's mansion. The Satan wasn't offended, seeing as he knew the other man had meant none by his actions.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thanks. Like you said, we should get this over with and out of the way. Though," Harry paused for a moment, "I have to warn you that my memories get spottier the farther back you want to know about."

"Understandable," Ajuka accepted easily. "How are your memories since you contracted with Sirzechs?"

"I'd daresay crystal clear."

"Then there shouldn't be any problems."

"Alright."

The conditions had been set. Anything the Satan wanted, as long as it was within the last ten years. Any further back and the Wizard could decline to answer, claiming forgetfulness. With that in mind, Ajuka leaned forward, but was stopped by Harry holding up a hand.

"Before we begin, a few precautions."

Harry waved his hands, and the other man felt a palpable aura of magic cover the room as a wave of energy cascaded outwards, washing over everything in sight.

"Privacy ward?"

"Among other things, yes." Contrary to Ajuka's posture, Harry leaned back in his seat and relaxed. "I don't say this as an excuse, but I am very tired. Please keep that in mind and try to stick to the important questions."

Ajuka nodded in acceptance. This shouldn't take very long.

"Good. Ask away."

"Not yet. I want an oath."

Harry stilled, and regarded the Satan curiously.

"I thought you trusted me, Ajuka."

"I trust you. I don't trust your memory."

"…Fair enough. I swear by magic that, until I leave this room, I will speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Harry said. "So mote it be." A brief flash of light. Ajuka looked surprised.

"You didn't specify a time frame."

"Consider it a sign of my trust in you. Ask as much as you feel is necessary."

Ajuka nodded and wasted no time. The message was not lost on him.

"Your twelve reasons."

"I didn't hear a question, but fine. My godfather twice, both my parents, everyone in Rias' Peerage, and Grayfia."

Ajuka counted as the other man spoke.

"That doesn't add up to twelve."

"I've forced myself to forget about the others. If you want me to tell you about them, I need my ring."

"Never mind then. You are the Master of Death."

"I'm not hearing questions, Ajuka."

"How does the Master of Death bring someone back to life?"

"I can extract their soul from the cycle of reincarnation and put it into their old body, or even a new one. As long as they haven't gone through the cycle a couple of times since their death, I can make them remember everything from their old life."

"What if their soul is in someone else?"

Harry paused. Ajuka's eyes narrowed.

"You have to be more specific," the Wizard said. "There are too many circumstances that may prevent a soul from ever entering the cycle or remove it from the cycle entirely for me to give you a full answer to that question in the time that we have."

The Satan blinked. The magical oath was binding, so that meant Harry was telling the truth about being unable to fully answer the question. The amount of time the two of them had was a vague frame of reference, but he couldn't think of a way to twist it to mean anything less than at least the next several minutes, which was longer than it should have taken the other man to answer his intended question.

"What if the soul has already been reincarnated into someone else?"

"I assume you mean it resides in another body as a natural result of the cycle doing its job, and not that it has become a divine entity of some sort. Then, when I resurrect the old person, the current person essentially dies."

Ajuka inhaled sharply.

"None of the people I have resurrected came at that cost."

The Satan sighed in relief. Harry smirked lightly despite the morbid subject matter. Still, it was getting late, and he had a warm bed and a happy wife waiting for him at home. Nude.

"You haven't asked any of the questions I expected you to yet, Ajuka. I really am tired, and this should have been enough of a test to know I'm telling the truth, so get on with it please."

Ajuka transitioned back to being on full alert. He straightened in his seat, scrutinizing the man across from him carefully. Eventually, the Satan decided he was being paranoid for no reason. Harry had promised to answer all his questions if given a month to set up whatever he had planned, and the man hadn't ever betrayed anyone's trust that Ajuka knew of.

"Alright. I'm sorry. Then let's move on. The incident with Kokabiel. Explain."

"There's a lot to explain. Care to be more specific?"

"Let's work backwards. Who were the magical signatures that retreated?"

"I wasn't sure at the time, but now I strongly suspect they were members of the Hero Faction. I don't know all of their identities, but if you want dossiers on the Sacred Gear wielders, I can give you those."

"No, it's fine. I just wanted to know who they were. Next, why was everyone trapped in a different pocket dimension?"

"I put them there, obviously. As for why I did that, I needed to motivate Rias and Sona, and their Peerages. If Sirzechs and Serafall, along with the rest of you, were there, it would have been over too quickly, not to mention we probably would not have caught on to the presence of the Hero Faction at all."

"Why did you need to motivate them?"

"Different reasons for most, but they can all be summed up as 'They need motivation to get stronger'. There will be conflict in the future, and experience is something they all lack. Both Rias and Sona have dreams that they will not achieve if they do not work harder towards them. It's not a matter of simply telling them to work harder. They needed a more pressing reason."

"I don't agree with your methods or your reasoning, but that's just my opinion."

"They were never in any real danger."

"How can you say that when both their Peerages were surrounded by Fallen Angels? Saji almost died!"

"The wielder of Dimension Lost tried to abduct the two heiresses, but I'm pretty sure I scared him off or just collapsed his pocket dimension when I pulled Serafall out, and Rias was with both Surtr and MacGregor the entire time."

Ajuka was about to interject, but Harry continued talking.

"Issei possesses the Boosted Gear. Ddraig would have ensured he survived long enough for me to arrive. Koneko had a Time-Turner on her. If she was killed, she still existed elsewhere. Akeno's Proto-Queen is linked to this," Harry said as he pulled out the Proto-King and set it gently on the desk, "and if her life were ever endangered, she would have been returned to its side. You know the properties of the Prototype Pieces. Asia was personally protected by a charm I placed on her prior to her first real taste of combat that would have deflected any one attack and instantly teleported her to my side. I would not have let someone like her participate otherwise. Gasper has had the same charm on him ever since I saved his life. I recharge it every time I visit them."

Ajuka's expression had slowly become more and more disbelieving the longer Harry spoke. The Wizard didn't mind. It looked funny on him, and he _was_ the one who asked.

"As for Sona and her Peerage, I designed both the gravity wards and the anti-gravity seals each of them wore. I admit, I may have overdone it slightly when I went to grab Serafall and overloaded the wards to the point where I couldn't really do anything but tear them down afterwards, but everything worked out fine. I just had to get a little creative and tweak the seals remotely rather than gradually weaken the gravity. Said seals also had an emergency teleport incorporated in case any of them were gravely wounded, and protected vital areas with the same self-defense spell you saw me use on Souji."

"What about Saji? Did he not qualify as 'gravely wounded'?"

"He absorbed the holy energy with his Sacred Gear. His predicament was unexpected, but actually had an equally-unexpected, but very positive outcome. He can now manipulate raw magic to a very limited degree, as you've no doubt heard."

"I thought you said none of them were in danger."

"I was there, wasn't I?"

Ajuka was silent for a moment as he looked at Harry, who showed no signs of remorse. Sometimes, he forgot the other man wasn't quite human. He had a moral compass, and he acted human enough, but centuries of living had skewed the Wizard's perception of normality in subtle ways. Case in point, he somehow resisted Serafall's advances for almost six months where any hot-blooded male would have given in within the first few days. Granted, it had only taken three days of dedicated effort by the sole female Satan to wear down Harry's defenses in the end, but Ajuka knew for a fact that she had attempted something at least once a day until she had to leave for her duties.

"…Diodora Astaroth. We've autopsied what we can. His Peerage are all unresponsive in his absence. What happened there?"

Harry perked up slightly.

"He got what he deserved for messing with powers beyond his understanding. I can fix his Peerage given enough time."

"That's not enough information, Harry."

"I know, I know. Patience. Do you remember the Dragon Piece I asked for your help with a while ago? I met with Vali Lucifer by chance and persuaded him to join my Peerage after dueling him in front of Kuoh Academy."

"You WHAT? Do you know who he is?! Sirzechs personally exiled him from Hell! If anyone catches on to the fact that Lord Orion has Vali Lucifer in his Peerage, there will be riots! And what do you mean you met him 'by chance'?"

"He challenged me to a duel while I was playing chess with Sona. I wasn't expecting him to show up, and I didn't even really know he existed or who he was before. Thus, we met by chance. Don't worry; I already have a plan in mind to clear his name. His crimes aren't very well-defined beyond the disappearance of the search party anyway."

"Have you told Sirzechs?"

"I will after he wakes up tomorrow. Wanna be there?"

"Yes. Someone needs to keep the two of you in check," Ajuka snapped.

"That's why we're friends, Ajuka, ol' chap."

The Satan was not amused.

"Anyway, what does the wielder of Divine Dividing have to do with anything?"

"He leads a team that is affiliated with the Khaos Brigade, an international terrorist organization. The Hero Faction is also one of the many groups that are part of the Khaos Brigade. I don't know any of the others yet, but I'm told they are mostly unimportant other than the Old Satan Faction."

Harry held up a hand to forestall the other man's imminent outburst.

"He's been working as a double-agent for years as far as I know, and Azazel can vouch for him. I know as much as you do, probably less, about the Old Satan Faction right now, but I hope to find out more soon. I'm told the Khaos Brigade is led by… an old friend of mine."

Hearing the name of the Governor General of the Grigori calmed Ajuka down some, but the end of Harry's sentence caused the man's eyes to sharpen again.

"Who?"

"A very, very old friend, Ajuka. I don't know if it's really him, so I'd rather not raise any false alarms yet. I promise I'll tell you as soon as I've confirmed it."

"Fine," Ajuka accepted. "So, how does Diodora fit into it? Was he used as a pawn to get at Sirzechs through Rias?"

"No. I believe they used Diodora as an experiment," Harry replied. He held his hand out and summoned a familiar snake from the Dimensional Gap, which then alighted on his shoulder.

"This is Malfoy. Say 'hi', Malfoy."

The little snake hissed. Ajuka stared at it.

"That's… Issei's familiar."

"Not quite. I let Issei borrow it because it consumes the same type of raw magic I suspected Diodora of being exposed to."

"Raw magic has types?"

"I misspoke. This snake is made of the same conceptual magic present in Diodora's body, and it has the unique ability to devour and assimilate that magic back into itself. It was given to me by the same old friend that might be in charge of the Khaos Brigade."

"Your friend can use conceptual magic?"

"Yes."

Ajuka was sorely attempted to demand who exactly the Wizard thought might be leading a terrorist organization and handing out conceptual magic to its members to give out to others, but resisted the urge. It wouldn't do to betray Harry's trust.

"Okay, fine. Do you expect them to strike again anytime soon?"

"Hard to say. If they do attack, it won't be Kuoh or the Devils."

"Is that why you're going to Kyoto?"

"Not the entire reason, but my presence here serves no purpose and I might as well set more of my plans in motion. Koneko is about ready to unlock her own powers."

"That's something I don't get. Why are you so insistent on helping others become more powerful?"

Harry paused briefly.

"Half of it is an inherent need to help others achieve their goals," Harry admitted, getting Ajuka to smile slightly. "The other half is that it contributes to my end goal."

It was an obvious lead-in. Ajuka contemplated whether or not to ask his next question.

"…And what is your end goal?"

"To prevent the end of the world."

Ajuka was taken aback.

"What are you talking about?"

Harry did not answer immediately, instead pushing himself to his feet out of his armchair.

"Do you have any other questions for me, Ajuka?"

"Harry, what are you talking about? What do you mean by the end of the world?"

Harry transported his armchair back and turned to face the Satan directly. Ajuka had stood up as well, and the two of them stared intensely into the others' eyes across the wooden desk separating them.

"This is the last question, then. I swore, Ajuka. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth," Harry repeated from earlier. "You might not like the answer I have to give to you. I promise that everything I do is for the betterment of all. Humans, Devils, Angels, Fallen, Youkai… I am working towards the best world I can possibly make. Knowing that, do you still want me to answer you? Think very carefully, because once you know, you're a part of it. You'll be in the thick of it. And if you get in my way, I will not hesitate to end you."

Ajuka stopped himself from reacting to the threat and demanding the truth. He regarded the man across from him. The two of them had met not even a decade ago as far as Ajuka could remember, even though Harry had apparently been around for centuries or even millennia. The Wizard's past was shrouded in mystery, but ever since he had made contact with the Devils, he had churned out reform after reform with nothing but positive results.

The Devils were on peaceful terms with both Heaven and the Fallen, even though it was currently a secret to the public. The Devils were also allied with both Youkai factions in spite of the disastrous incident involving the Nekoshou. The Wizard had made several improvements to the Evil Piece System, including the development of an entirely new type of Piece that could possibly be used to reincarnate non-Devils into near-Purebloods in the future. He was personally teaching and watching over two Pillar families' heiresses and their Peerages, having resurrected or saved the lives of every member of one of them.

With all of that in mind, Ajuka came to a decision.

"Ask as much as I feel is necessary," the Satan echoed from earlier, copying Harry. "You put your trust in me. I'll put my trust in you. I'm with you, to the end, Harry. So tell me what you think I need to know."

"…The End is real. It is an actual entity, and it tries to destroy the world periodically. I don't claim to know how the world was made or who made it, but whatever happened at the beginning of time, there was a… glitch."

"A glitch?"

"Conceptual magic. Nobody was ever meant to be able to use a concept."

"But, didn't you say there used to be a whole sub-group of the population who could?"

"In a way, yes. Wizards and witches could use raw magic. With enough practice and dedication, we could have eventually each gained conceptual magic of some sort. But, we were anomalies. The world didn't appreciate our presence. That's a topic for another day though."

Harry cleared his throat.

"Conceptual magic didn't always work the way it does now. Back then, any number of people could use the same concept. That's how gods of different pantheons were able to govern the same things, like War, Storms, Fertility, and such. Nowadays, with very specific exceptions, only one entity can use any one concept. If someone tries to use a concept someone else is already using, the two of them are drawn together and forced to fight for it."

Ajuka listened patiently and attentively. All of this information was fascinating to him.

"The problem is: someone or something gained the conceptual magic of End. This entity would eventually bring about the end of the world. Somehow, the Biblical God foresaw this, but He also foresaw this event as inevitable. So rather than prolong it indefinitely and risk the power passing to something nobody would be able to stop, He preempted it."

"How?"

"He created the Sacred Gears with the concept of Genesis. It gets technical, but the short version is that Sacred Gears get stronger with every wielder, and when a Gear cannot become any stronger, it is designed to search for and permanently bond with the soul that is best suited for them."

"Is that why you're pushing everyone?"

"Partly. None of the Gears are fully-developed yet, but God's plan was too far-sighted. The End is coming much sooner than He expected. I'm trying to force the Gears to evolve faster by working directly on the souls within them along with the souls they're bound to."

"How do you know the End is coming?"

"…Because I survived it once."

Ajuka looked at Harry in shock. Wordlessly, the Wizard placed a ring on the Satan's desk. Ajuka recognized it as the ring that Harry usually wore, though the stone set in it was curiously glowing on and off in a mesmerizing pattern.

"If you want to know what we're up against, put that on. For now, that's all you need to know."

Harry turned around, his cloak billowing out behind him, and left the room. Ajuka spent several minutes staring at the ring in indecision, before sitting back down and slipping it onto the middle finger of his left hand.

One hour later, Ajuka walked out of the most expensive jeweler in the Underworld with two boxes in hand, intent on moving the date of his wedding up. Griselda would be confused, but pleased.

* * *

A/N: This Interlude is malleable, especially since the Excalibur Arc is planned to undergo a rewrite (nothing plot-relevant is being changed, but we may take some information revealed there and add it into this chapter later). If you have any questions about events that occurred during the Excalibur or Rating Games Arcs, submit them via PM and we will answer them, and we might add them to this chapter as well.


	19. Interlude - Sona Sitri

**Interlude – Sona Sitri**

 **(Rating Games Arc)**

* * *

Sona Sitri had always been a smart girl. She'd always been a creative and resourceful girl. A persistent, hard-working, and strong girl. She had been obsessed with improving herself ever since she was old enough to understand how amazing her older sister was. Sona Sitri had always been an insecure girl.

When Sona was eight years old, she met Harry Potter for the first time. Her Sera-neechan brought her to meet the enigmatic man with messy black hair and bright green eyes who spoke very little. Being eight, Sona decided the best way to get to know the man was to challenge him to a chess game like she did to so many other adults. She lost. Over the next eight or nine months, she would proceed to lose almost a hundred more matches against the man who did not say more than two or three words at a time. But, Sona didn't care about that. He was better than her. Therefore, she had to beat him. She went to sleep with a determined look.

When Sona was nine years old, she discovered she liked having Harry Potter as big brother. Their match had lasted far beyond any of their previous ones. Sona was not yet experienced enough to play speed chess, so their match was untimed. After sacrificing almost every single one of her pieces, the little girl had been startled when the man had suddenly admitted defeat, stating she would have won in only seven more moves. She could not puzzle out the seven moves, and so, she was unwilling to accept victory. Rather than continue to play, the man had instead proceeded to teach her chess for the first time. He was a very good teacher. She immediately demanded he become her chess tutor, since she was currently without one. He declined, saying he was a busy man and refusing any form of payment she offered. Instead, he told her he would play against her as often as she wanted, on Sunday mornings. She eagerly accepted, dubbing the man "Harry-niichan." She went to sleep with a happy look.

When Sona was twelve years old, she discovered she loved Harry Potter. They'd been meeting every Sunday for almost three years straight, and she no longer went to him only for chess advice. Actually, there was no question she did not go to him with. It had been awkward when she had to ask him about private things, but he had skillfully deflected the important questions towards her parents or her older sister. One day, wondering if he would give a different answer than the other people she'd asked, she asked him the following question:

"Harry-niichan, what is love?"

The man had looked at her strangely, before giving her the following answer:

"Love is a feeling of happiness you get when you are around someone else. Love makes you want to be with someone forever, to hug them, to protect them, and to care for them. Think about what you feel when you're with your parents, or Sera-neechan. That's love."

"Oh. Then, that means I love them?"

"That's exactly what it means."

"Then, I love you too, Harry-niichan!"

"Hahaha, I love you back, So-tan. Now, I'll be black this time. Your move."

When Sona was fifteen years old, she discovered love was not as easy as everyone made it seem. As a Pureblood heiress, she was expected to marry another Pureblood. Everything she knew about marriage told her that it was between two individuals who loved each other. She was expected to love whoever's name was on her marriage contract. Unwilling to accept defeat, she challenged the conceited Devil who was to be her husband to a game of chess for possession of the contract, and won. She went to sleep with a satisfied look.

One day, Sona Sitri discovered her sister was secretly engaged. She was determined to find out who it was. When she found out her surrogate big brother would actually become her big brother by law she was happy. Having been raised in Devil society, Sona was used to the idea of male Devils having harems. She freely admitted that she loved Harry Potter and considered herself worthy of his affection as well. So, she went to her older sister and told her. She expected her to accept. She expected him to accept. She expected to live the rest of her life out in satisfaction having proven that she was just as good as Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Great Satans. That night, Sona Sitri cried herself to sleep.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Phenex-san."

"Ms. Sitri."

The two opposing Kings stood across from each other in the narrow hallway leading to the teleportation circles that would take them to their starting positions. Their Peerages had both already gone ahead without them. The battlefield would be a small mountain surrounded by forests. The larger-than-usual setting for their Rating Game was decided by Riser when he won their coin toss. Sona had then been given her first choice of starting position, but had forfeited her right in favor of random placement since the forest had no significant landmarks to choose from.

Then, Riser had surprised her.

"Why did you stipulate total elimination?" Sona asked.

Being one of the main signatories of the contract at stake, and one at the disadvantage under conditions of total elimination, Riser had successfully petitioned the High Council to lower his own chances in seeming defiance of common sense.

"You are a smart girl, Ms. Sitri. Take your best guess."

"…You place a lot of faith in Rias."

"I am merely being cautious," the man said. "You are a terrifying opponent, Ms. Sitri. Despite all my experience in Rating Games, I would be a fool to dismiss your intelligence. I do not plan on losing, but no plan survives contact with the enemy, and all that."

"So you trick the Council into letting you impose conditions that weaken me further in case I do win?"

"Just so," Riser admitted easily. "If I am defeated, I will at least ensure that you and your Peerage are in no condition to participate in any further Games today, and thus achieve my ultimate victory."

Sona scoffed.

"I thought you a more honorable individual than this, Phenex-san."

"Your taunts have no effect on me. I will win one way or another."

Riser's eyes narrowed dangerously. Sona glared defiantly back. The two of them didn't move for several seconds, seeing if either would back down. Neither did.

"Why are you so adamant about winning, Riser-san?" Sona asked, switching to the less formal address they used in their normal communication. They weren't the best of friends, but they had known each other for years, ever since Rias first complained about him. Sona's opinion of the other man was that he was prideful and arrogant, but not needlessly antagonistic or oppressive with his status. All in all, a fairly reasonable individual, if a bit difficult to deal with if you weren't also a High-Class Devil.

"I have no qualms with Ms. Gremory, if that is what you are asking. I simply value my freedom and my ability to love. I repeat myself, but I used to take everything I had for granted."

"Then you met Harry Potter."

"…Yes, then I met him. He taught me a very valuable lesson that day. Now I appreciate what I do have and recognize that my status comes with responsibilities, as well as several instances of noblesse oblige."

"You're using that phrase wrong."

Riser paused, his train of thought derailed by the sudden interruption.

"The phrase, 'noblesse oblige', refers to the idea that those in higher positions of power are obligated to help those below them. It is not a countable quantity."

Riser stared at his opponent.

"Was that correction really necessary?"

"It would have bothered me for the rest of our conversation otherwise. My own noblesse oblige encourages me to share my knowledge with others, Riser-san."

"ANYWAY. I have learned to value the things I used to take for granted, and one of them is my freedom of choice with regards to my life," Riser began. "I am not the heir of the Phenex Clan, so I never expected to have to worry about such things, but it was not entirely unexpected, Pureblood politics being what they are. Honestly, I find the practice abhorrent and would refuse to take part in it, but I am not in control here."

"So you would force the contract on me instead?" Sona asked accusingly.

"Do not attempt to paint me as the villain here. I am not the one who penned the contract, and I certainly am not responsible for you being involved. You are a very intelligent and resourceful person, Sona. I am sure you will find a way out of it in time."

"The contract activates tonight," Sona said. Her statement brought Riser up short.

"…What?"

"You didn't know?" Sona asked, blinking in confusion. "Today's match is a blitz match. Didn't they tell you this when you petitioned for additional change in rules?"

Judging by the way Riser's face contorted in anger, they had not.

"Those bastards," he spat out. "So that's their play? I assume dear Rias' match is the same later this afternoon?"

"Yes, all of them are," Sona replied. "So you see, I have no time."

"…Yes, I suppose you don't. Be that as it may, I still cannot just hand you the win."

"But-"

"I am sorry, Sona. Unlike you, I do not have an older sister who rules the Underworld. If I do not free myself from the contract, the Purebloods will do everything they can to control my life. You or Rias will likely escape after the terms are fulfilled. I am not so fortunate."

Sona bit her lip in frustration. She knew the man was not wrong. Riser's status as a High-Class Devil and a Pureblood saved him from being outright controlled by the whims of the Council, but did nothing to protect him from Pureblood policy. His only hope of retaining control of his life came with preempting anything the Council might do, which for him included filling his Peerage, taking charge of part of his family's Phoenix Tears production, and getting engaged and married to Yubelluna as soon as possible. Once Riser no longer had Evil Pieces, was solidly employed within his family, and was married, he lost most of his political value, not to mention the actual heir of the Phenex Clan could extend his protection to him as a valuable manager of one of the Underworld's most profitable exports.

"So, you will fight."

"Yes, I will," Riser confirmed solemnly. "I have faith that your sister, and Mr. Potter, will find a way to save you from your situation. Good luck, Sona Sitri."

With that, he walked away, leaving Sona standing alone in the narrow hallway.

 _But, I don't want their help._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Rating Game, being a blitz match, did not last long. But, soon after it started, Riser revealed his secret weapon. To be more accurate, he revealed several secret weapons he had acquired and prepared.

Every single member of Riser's Peerage was equipped with an enchanted vial of Phoenix Tears that could not be removed from their person and caused the Tears to be consumed automatically when its owner was near-death. This meant that anyone Sona and her Peerage knocked out would return at full strength if they weren't retired from the Game. What's more, his Peerage was also carrying unbreakable vials of holy water that they threw at members of her Peerage. These vials were additionally enchanted with a delayed-activation explosion spell that detected when none of his Peerage members were within range and made them act like grenades.

Sona divided her forces into two groups, knowing Riser's strategy was to weaken her for Rias later. The first group, led by Sona, stayed near her home base, located in a random clearing in the forest. It included her Rook, Tsubasa, and her Bishop, Reya. They would prioritize preventing the other team's Pawns from Promoting. The second group, led by her Queen, Tsubaki, set out towards Riser's initial position, determined by the position of his Queen revealed to Sona by the rules of the game. The other group included Sona's other Bishop, Momo, her Knight, Tomoe, and both of her Pawns, Saji and Ruruko. Their objective was to lure Riser's forces away, with the side objective of getting both Saji and Ruruko Promoted.

Since the rules favored Sona in the case of a draw, she had no reason to seek confrontation other than to avoid Stalemate. She had every reason to play as defensively as possible and simply weather her opponent's attacks. Unfortunately for her, Riser's premonition was correct, and her plan indeed did not survive first contact.

Tsubaki's initial encounter with Riser's forces revealed he had committed every single member of his Peerage to pursuit of her group. The man himself was nowhere to be found, but his Queen, both Bishops, both Knights, both Rooks, and all eight Pawns, under the joint leadership of his Queen, Yubelluna, who preferred to be called Yule, and little sister, Ravel, showed up to fight against the group led by Sona's own Queen.

The results had not been favorable for the heiress. Sona had ordered an immediate retreat, moving to rendezvous with them, but Tsubaki's group was surrounded. The chaotic fighting had lasted a bare few minutes, with the majority of Riser's Pawns, six in total, being retired, along with one of his Knights. Both Ruruko and Momo had sustained heavy injuries protecting Saji from a holy water grenade vial, the former being retired from the Game. A rest of the group also sustained other injuries before they had managed to escape. Still, since Tsubaki's position was being constantly broadcast to everyone else on the opposing team, Riser's Peerage was in hot pursuit. Momo retired shortly afterwards from raw magic poisoning, and, judging Sona's group to be too far away to reach them in time, Tsubaki had ordered the remaining members to split up.

The Queen went off on her own, away from both Sona and Riser's camp, while Saji and Tomoe reunited with Sona's group. Correctly guessing her plan, Yubelluna and Ravel had split their forces as well. Riser's Queen set off in pursuit of Sona's, supported by his remaining Knight, while the rest headed towards Sona's home base. If the heiress was not defending it, or on the way there, that meant free Promotions for Riser's two remaining Pawns. Otherwise, they would find the main target of the Game, the King herself.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona was quick to help her Knight support her Pawn's injured body before both of them collapsed.

"I'm… sorry, Kaichou. It was my fault. I didn't know they had those vials…"

"Shh. None of us did. Now is not the time," Sona scolded gentler than usual. "Riser's sent everyone he has at us. That means he's either defending his own base, or more likely, on his way over to mine."

Her Peerage nodded in understanding.

"Then, what do we do?" Tomoe asked.

"Tsubaki's being pursued by Riser's Queen and his only other Knight. That means the group after us doesn't have anyone particularly fast in it, and, since Tsubaki isn't with us, they don't know where we are either. We're going to take a roundabout path to meet up with her."

"What about Riser's Pawns? He still has two," Reya pointed out.

"We're a ways from our base. If Tsubaki heads towards us and we head towards her, we can meet up and take care of his Queen and Knight before we have to worry about his Pawns Promoting and coming after us," Sona reasoned. "It's our best option. Besides, I know none of his Pawns can Promote to Queen, so at worst he gets two more Knights to balance his Peerage out again.

She turned to look at her injured Pawn and Knight. Saji sported cuts and bruises on both of his legs, though the rest of his body was relatively unscathed. Tomoe, on the other hand, was missing a good portion of the back of her combat shirt. Her back was covered with wounds from when she protected the much slower Saji during their retreat, and her arms were injured as well from where her katana had not been enough to completely block the magical spells being launched at her.

"Will you two be okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Kaichou. I've survived much worse!" Saji proclaimed. He winced slightly as he got to his feet, but still pounded his chest enthusiastically. Next to him, Tomoe nodded to show her readiness as well. She stepped forward.

"I have some experience with handling holy water vials," the Knight said. "Well, actually, my family is experienced with the types of enchantments on them. I was able to get one while we were fighting." With that, she withdrew a vial from within the pouch tied to her katana's sheath. "It works just like theirs does." She made to hand it over to Sona, but the heiress pushed it back.

"No, it's better if you hold on to it. You're the fastest, and it'll come as a shock to them. Use it on Riser if you can. We can't block his regeneration any other way, and it's not worth it to try and overpower it."

Tomoe nodded and slipped the vial back into her pouch.

"Are all of you ready? Good. We'll head east for a minute or two, before turning and going straight north. I'll tell you when. Let's move."

"Hai, Kaichou!" came the response from her four Peerage members.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Tsubaki swerved to avoid an explosion, while using her naginata to parry the large two-handed sword wielded by another of her opponents. She was so close to her King. Just a minute or two more, and they would have met up. However, she had been waylaid by a very unwelcome guest. Mirror Alice formed in the air as it reflected a fireball from none other than Riser Phenex, floating in the air on wings of flame. The situation wasn't quite hopeless, but Tsubaki didn't feel optimistic about her chances.

"Yule, Siris, go to my sister. I can handle her."

His Knight obeyed immediately, and his Queen hesitated just long enough to blow him a kiss before she departed.

"You seem confident, Phenex-san."

"My confidence is well-warranted in this instance, Ms. Shinra, but my decision is more out of caution. You are incapable of overpowering my regeneration, and neither of us is carrying anything that might inhibit it, unlike my two Peerage members."

Tsubaki clicked her tongue and brandished her weapon.

"I wouldn't be too sure, Phenex-san," she taunted.

"You are correct, of course. You could reflect my own flames. But, what if that is what I want you to do?"

The Queen paused. The light of realization entered her eyes.

"You…!"

She was cut off as twin jets of flame shot from Riser's hands, setting the forest on fire behind her as she was forced to keep moving. The heat, combined with the exertion, was enough to make sweat pour down her face.

"You cannot avoid me forever, Ms. Shinra. You will burn and I will go after your King next, or your Sacred Gear will break. Either way, I win."

Tsubaki's magical talents lay in defensive spells. She had very few offensive options outside of her martial prowess, which was useless against Riser since she was unable to close the distance. Thus, she decided discretion was the better part of valor and attempted to escape. As she began backing away, pillars of flame burst forth from the ground around the two of them. Riser's smile was grim.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he said. A wave of his hands made the pillars enlarge to close the gaps between them, forming a wall of impassible fire. The Queen could have shielded herself and broken through with some damage, but she would be vulnerable afterwards.

Tsubaki flew above another fireball. Even with the amount of magical energy available to him, surely Riser couldn't keep his wall of flames up forever. Also, time was against him, and at least half of the allotted hour for the match had to have passed by now. If she could outlast him, she would win. So far, Riser hadn't demonstrated any abilities that might allow him to land a solid hit on the defensively-oriented Queen, leading her to believe he had none available to him. Her assumptions were proven false.

A fireball she had just dodged exploded as it passed by, throwing her into the path of another one. She hurriedly cast a shield, but this fireball exploded as well, sending her tumbling to the ground. By the time she regained control of her flight, she was unable to stop Riser from closing over half the distance separating them. Whips of flame extended from the wall at her back and further limited her options. The man also held a flame whip in his hands and swiped it sideways once she was within range.

Deciding to chance it, Tsubaki materialized Mirror Alice just long enough to deflect the whip back onto its owner and closed the remainder of the gap, spinning her naginata in preparation for a powerful retaliatory slash. She saw Riser's smirk just in time to back off, but not before she was out of range of the sudden explosion.

She rose into the air while extinguishing the small embers that clung to the front of her uniform. Now that Riser had showcased his ability to spontaneously combust and trigger such a powerful self-explosion, her offensive options were effectively none. What's worse, he didn't seem to be affected by his own attack.

The wall of flames parted, and eventually snuffed itself out.

Tsubaki looked back hopefully, but her expression quickly soured. Rather than the figures of her allies, it was the rest of Riser's Peerage, led by his sister, Ravel. Curiously, his Queen and the Knight that accompanied her were nowhere to be found. Riser was happy to see them, but his expression was also perplexed.

"Ravel? Where is Yule?"

Ravel stared back with a similar expression.

"Ms. Yule? We never met her."

Instantly, Riser was on alert. He sent a blast of flame at them, but his Peerage scattered.

"Brother! What are you doing?!" Ravel cried. The rest of the girls slowly gathered together, but instead of welcoming them as allies, Riser sent another fireball at them to prevent them from doing so. Before she could move, Ravel found herself in the man's smoldering grip. Tsubaki looked on in confusion.

"Ravel knows not to call me 'Brother'," he said, his grip tightening around the younger girl's neck. Rather than look distressed, Ravel smirked. Reaching to her waist, the spritely girl drew out a familiar-looking vial from a distortion in the air. Riser's eyes widened, and he made to let go, but his own arm was gripped tightly in return. Before his eyes, the image of his sister distorted and morphed until he was staring at his opponent's Knight.

"You!" he shouted in recognition.

"This is for Momo and Ruruko!" the girl exclaimed. The vial exploded in between them both.

"GAAAH!" "AAAH!"

Riser recoiled in pain, clutching at his chest and his face. Meanwhile, Tomoe dropped from the sky, writhing in pain as well. The rest of his Peerage melted away like a mirage. In their place were Sona, Saji, Reya, and Tsubasa. Reya fainted and was caught by Tsubasa before she could plummet to the ground.

" **Sona Sitri's Knight, retired."**

Sona grit her teeth. The plan had been suggested en route by her Bishop, who was skilled in illusory spells, and her Knight had volunteered to assist using her vial. The five of them had seen the pillars of flame merge into a wall, and correctly assumed that Riser himself was responsible. There was no better time to land a decisive blow on the opposing King. Thanks to his own machinations, victory could only be achieved by total elimination. If either King was eliminated before the rest of his or her Peerage, the match would end in a draw.

That didn't make the decision any easier.

"Damn you, Sona Sitri…!" Riser's wounds were steaming, and his face looked like it had been burned by his own flames for once. Unfortunately, it also seemed as if the holy water had not been enough to overcome his natural regeneration factor completely, only stop it. Sona was okay with that.

"It's over, Riser. The rest of your Peerage won't arrive in time," she declared. "We're going to end the Game right now." Tsubaki had taken up position on the other side of the man, while Saji and Tsubasa blocked the other two directions, the latter having deposited the unconscious form of Reya on the ground earlier. Sona knew Riser was not too prideful to retreat. Maybe if he had kept the mindset from before he met Harry, but not now.

"That's fine," Riser said, putting Sona on alert. "After all, you're here now." She had a split-second to wonder what the other King meant before she had to call upon her water magic to block the jets of flame that Riser sent at her. The wall of flame that had vanished earlier flared back to life, this time boxing the King in. Her Peerage approached Riser to land their own attacks, but the man's whole body burst into flame. A chain of explosions around him pushed them back farther.

"You were always the target, Sona. After all, your match with Rias isn't total elimination," Riser said as he advanced on her. "As long as I ensure you cannot fight, I win in the end."

Sona looked around frantically as she hid behind her shrinking barrier of water. The steam it was giving off as the fire made contact with it would make for good cover, but it hid the man attacking her just as well as it did her own actions. She had no doubt that if she tried to dart out, she'd be burned alive. The magic of the Rating Games would ensure her life was not in danger, but Riser had every reason not to hold back, and being burned alive was not a pleasant experience in the first place.

"Kaichou!"

Sona felt the familiar sensation of Castling. Moments later, she was floating in the air next to her Queen and Pawn. The three of them watched as Riser brought his hands together, causing the walls of fire to collapse inwards.

"Tsubasa!"

" **Sona Sitri's Rook, retired."**

Riser clicked his tongue irritably.

"You are making this much more difficult than it has to be, Sona."

Tsubaki and Saji stood in front of their King protectively. Then, the three of them watched in dawning horror as Riser withdrew a vial of Phoenix Tears from a pants pocket. They were unable to stop him from consuming them. The man's wounds didn't heal, but his flames making up his wings restored themselves to their previous ferocity, burning brighter than ever.

"If everyone else on my Peerage has one, why wouldn't I? Also…"

He withdrew another unmarked vial.

"I didn't think I'd ever need to use this. It was a risk to carry such a thing on my person, but now I am glad for it."

Without hesitation, he tossed it at his opponents and followed in its wake, a fiery aura building up around him. Tsubaki's eyes widened, having seen him demonstrate his explosive self-combustion technique earlier. How much more powerful would it be if he poured his full reserves into it? Seeing her opportunity, Tsubaki flew forward and immediately called on her Sacred Gear.

"Mirror Alice!"

The vial exploded as it made contact with the mirror, and its contents were bounced back. A few drops landed on her skin, but to her confusion, instead of pain, Tsubaki felt slightly rejuvenated. To her dismay, Riser flew right through the spray without any visible effects. Sona acted quickly, pulling both her Pawn backwards as she tried to back away from the King, who flew right past her Queen, ignoring the cuts her naginata scored on his body.

"You're mine!"

Saji wrenched himself out of his King's grip and pushed her away.

" **Absorption Line!"**

The line attached itself to Riser and began draining his energy. The man faltered as his technique was interrupted momentarily, long enough for Tsubaki to score several more direct hits on him. Riser roared and grabbed a hold of the Queen's weapon and Saji's arm, tossing them both at Sona, who had been in the process of constructing an ice spell. She stopped her casting to avoid them. Her brief distraction cost her as Riser closed the remaining distance.

"Burn! Soul Pyre!"

"Mirror Alice!"

The mirror-shaped Sacred Gear materialized in front of Sona, but could not completely block the apocalyptic explosion that took place in front of her. Shards of glass flew everywhere as both Kings were blown backwards.

" **Riser Phenex and Sona Sitri have retired. The result of the Rating Game is a draw."**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona awoke in an infirmary. After the initial confusion, she remembered the results of her Rating Game. Panicking, she tried to sit up, but stopped herself when her body protested in pain. More slowly this time, she rose to a sitting position, looking around for a clock. Curiously, none of her Peerage was around her, but she figured they were all probably resting as well. She was about to get up, but a new figure emerged from the doorway.

"So you have awoken, Sona Sitri."

Sona looked and saw the armored form of Lord Orion standing just outside her room. He didn't make any move to enter.

"Nii-san? Is that you?"

"Your Rating Game ended in a draw," the man said, ignoring the question. "Thus, Riser has lost in terms of the contract. Rias Gremory's Rating Game just ended with her victory, but she is currently unconscious. The contract activates at midnight, so your next Rating Game will take place at eleven o'clock or shortly after she awakens as well. If she is not awake by eleven, you will win by default."

Sona made to say something, but was cut off.

"Consider yourself informed. I recommend you rest. You have a visitor waiting as well. Good day, Sona Sitri."

Before Sona could ask anything, he turned around and walked away. She was dumbfounded. Why was he acting so coldly towards her? Did something happen during Rias' Rating Game with Diodora? Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite knock on the doorframe. She looked and saw Riser Phenex's Bishop, his little sister Ravel, standing there.

"May I come in?" she asked politely.

"…You may."

Ravel entered the room and walked to Sona's bedside. When she reached it, she bowed. Sona blinked.

"I am sorry for my brother's actions. During the Rating Game, he disguised an extra vial of Phoenix Tears as a vial of holy water, which was against the rules."

Because Phoenix Tears were so powerful, participants were only allowed one per member of their Peerage, as well as one for themselves. Riser having two would have disqualified him instantly if it had been discovered.

"I… see," Sona said slowly. "Is that all?"

"No," Ravel said. "The Council does not deem his actions worthy of sanctions, but the Phenex family would like to apologize personally for the actions of one of its members. As such, we have decided to give you this, free of charge, as part of our apology."

Sona stared at the vial of Phoenix Tears she had been given.

"I also have a message for you."

"Oh?" she asked, slightly stunned at the generosity. Phoenix Tears were prohibitively expensive and difficult to obtain even if you had the money to pay for them. Supply was never enough to meet demand, and if it weren't for the already-ridiculous price ceiling imposed on them, the price of a single vial would likely have exceeded the amount most High-Class Devils made over the course of several decades.

"It's from… Harry."

Sona snapped to attention.

"Yes?" she asked, staring intensely at the younger Devil. To her credit, she didn't seem to be affected.

"He said to remember that you have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself," the diminutive girl said. "Riser, Rias, and you. All of you are fighting for what you believe in. But, more than that, you're fighting for yourselves. I… I respect that. One day, when it's time for me to go out on my own, I want to have the same strength that all of you do! So that I can make my own destiny too!" She squeaked cutely when she realized she had raised her voice unintentionally.

"A-anyway. That was the message. The first part, not the rest. Also, I just wanted to say, 'Good luck'. Please don't hold anything against my brother."

Sona smiled.

"I won't, Ravel. And thank you."

Ravel squeaked cutely and blushed.

"A-ahem! Right! You should be thankful! I-I'll be going then!" she turned around and strode imperiously towards the doorway, but stumbled on her way there. Without looking back, she then hurried out of the room, abandoning all efforts at acting dignified.

"Nothing to prove, huh…" Sona muttered to herself. "I'm sorry, nii-san, but there is one person I have to prove something to." As she spoke, said person walked into the room.

"Sona-kaichou! How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Sona smiled at him.

"I'm fine, Saji. As you can see, a… beneficiary of ours has seen fit to apologize to us for Riser's illegal possession of two vials of Tears during the match."

"Is that…?"

"It is." Sona took the cap off and downed the contents of the vial. Within moments, she was feeling completely recovered. "Now," she said as she stood up off the bed, "where is everyone else? We need to start preparing for our next Game."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"You have no idea what you're fighting for!"

Sona sent the remainder of her conjured wolves at Rias to mask her tears. The way they tore into her rival gave her some small sense of satisfaction, but it also made her want to cry even more. Why were the two of them forced to fight like this?

"What… what do you mean?"

"Do you know what it means to love someone, Rias?" _What it means to be rejected?_ "Do you know what it means to fight for a hopeless cause?" _The feeling of knowing that no matter what you do, you will never get what you want?_

Her magic answered her intentions, building up around her.

"I don't," her rival replied. "I don't, but that doesn't mean I won't fight for it all the same!"

 _Fight for what? For something you've never experienced?_

Rias had never known true love, but it was her dream to. She was naïve. She had never had to fight for her freedom before, having never been subjected to a marriage contract like Sona had. She was not expected to match up to her older brother, the Crimson Satan, the Super Devil, because he was so far out of the league of regular Devils that it was meaningless to even compare him to them. Rias had been handed everything in her life on a silver platter. Granted, much of what Sona had was also given to her with minimal effort, but Sona had another dream.

Sona wanted to open a school for Low-Class Devils to give them the chance to improve themselves and join the ranks of the nobility. The first time she had brought it up, the adults she had been conversing with laughed in her face, never mind the fact that her older sister had then flash-frozen them in place. Nobody laughed at Rias' dreams. Her dreams were admirable, because she fought for herself and her freedom.

"You… you're so… lucky."

It was now or never.

"You don't know what it's like."

The family magic of the Sitri Clan, taught to her by her parents, and improved upon by her older sister.

"Sona?"

"I need this, Rias." _I need to know… that I'm not powerless._

"I need to prove to myself that I can." _I need to prove… that I'm not powerless._

"So I'll ask you again." _Tell me one last time._ "What do you fight for?"

"I fight for my freedom! I may not know what it's like to love, but when I do find someone, I will love him knowing that I will be able to give my everything to him!" Rias proclaimed proudly.

"Good. Then let me tell you what I fight for."

Sona's magic completed its task. Her entire body was covered in magical ice from head-to-toe. With a thought, a spear formed in her hands. She pointed it at her rival.

"I have someone I love, Rias. When I fight, I fight for him. This time, I won't lose."

The world faded away. All she could see was her rival. Why wasn't her sister using her ice magic? She blinked, and saw Rias again. The two figures overlapped in her mind.

"I'll prove myself. To you, to her, and to him. I'll prove to everyone… that I'm not helpless!"

Sona leapt forward, breaking the ice underneath her feet. A beam of energy evaporated all of the armor covering her leading arm, but it was replaced quickly. Her thrust was sidestepped, but the second spear that formed in her other hand found its mark. She saw Rias wince as it pierced her side. Another blast of energy forced her away, taking the front of her armor with it. Moments later, her armor was pristine once more.

"What's wrong, Rias? Is that all your freedom is worth?"

Balls of ice appeared in the air around her. In her form, all of her water magic was automatically converted into ice. They shot out erratically, freezing patches of the ground wherever they hit. Her rival crouched and channeled her energy downwards, destroying the ice and the top layer of the soil. She was slightly irritated by the casual destruction of the courtyard, even if it was only a copy. Her ice would melt eventually. The Power of Destruction left nothing behind.

Sona was about to charge forward again with the two spears in her hands, but she was stopped by a chain of blasts blowing up the ground in her path. A lightning-fast spear of energy hit her in the chest, vaporizing the ice armor covering it again. Before it could be replaced, another two Destruction Lances shot out at her. She dodged the first one, but was forced to sacrifice her two ice spears to block the second.

Risking a short incantation to focus her intent, Sona cast her sister's favored flash-freeze spell. Her rival found her entire body covered in a layer of magical ice, inflexible unlike Sona's. Cracks began forming along it within moments, but the other heiress couldn't break out fast enough to avoid her opponent's full-body tackle. The two of them ended up on the ground, Sona straddling her rival. She began channeling energy into her hands as they rested on her rival's shoulders.

Rias struggled to raise her arms as her shoulders were gradually frozen. Determining that she would not be able to point her hands at the girl on top of her in time, she shot as much of her Power of Destruction from her fingers as she could. The energy disintegrated bits and pieces of the other girl's ice armor, but otherwise did not seem to affect her. With no other options, Rias flared her magic from her entire body, finally forcing Sona off of her and breaking apart the ice covering her upper torso. She wasted no time in getting to her feet.

The two heiresses traded spells for several more minutes without any significant results. At one point, Sona took a series of blasts to her legs, nearly losing one of them, but the wall of ice that rose out of the ground to absorb the follow-up blasts prevented her from being disabled. At another point, Rias had her own legs frozen, causing her to slip on the ice on the ground as her Power of Destruction took care of the ice covering her legs, but failed to act quickly enough on the frozen landscape. She caught herself just in time to avoid taking an ice spear through her heart. The next big shift in their fight occurred when Kuoh Academy collapsed in on itself.

" **All other Peerage members, retired."**

Rias made the mistake of staring in shock at the ruins of her school. Sona capitalized.

The redheaded heiress cried out in pain as she was unable to fully avoid an ice spear that impaled her through one of her shins. It didn't actually pierce and draw blood as she expected, but it did cause instant frostbite. The loss of the use of one her legs caused Rias to stumble before falling to the ground. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself up.

"Checkmate, Rias."

"No! Not yet!"

Rias' Devil wings flexed themselves and the girl rose into the air. The freezing cold air. Her breath came out as mist. Shaking off the effects of the temperature, the Power of Destruction once again coursed along her body. She was at about half-full in terms of her reserves, but surely, Sona, who had been maintaining her family's signature magic this entire time, must have been in worse condition, right?

Wings of ice burst from Sona's back. She rose into the air, stopping when she was level with her rival. She was just beginning to run low on magic, which meant Rias was probably at least half-empty. She couldn't afford to waste much more time. Her rival surprised her by talking; time wasn't really on her side either, after all.

"What are you really fighting for, Sona?"

She blinked.

"I told you! I'm fighting to prove myself!"

More ice spears shot through the air. All of them broke against the barrier of energy Rias summoned to herself. She tried to close the distance, but the barrier condensed into a ball and shot outwards suddenly. When she altered her course to avoid it, it exploded, pushing her back. Her vision shook slightly, but restored itself quickly.

"Don't lie to me, Sona!" _Promise me you won't lie._

"I'm telling the truth!"

What was her rival talking about? Sona hadn't told a single lie this entire match. She was fighting for herself. She fought for her right to choose. She was just like Rias, in a way. She wanted to give everything she had to whoever she loved in the future, but unlike her rival, she had already given away a part of herself. Now, she fought to prove she was worthy of having it back. She fought to convince herself she had the right.

Another wave of spears. Sona followed in their wake. Rather than weather them all, Rias repositioned herself below most of their paths and destroyed those that were able to divert themselves in time to track her. She came face-to-helmet with the ice-armored heiress and let out a surprised cry as she was once again tackled to the ground, this time from midair. Fortunately for her, the impact with the frozen ground threw her attacker off of her.

Rias shook her head in a daze as she tried to regain her bearings. She might have gotten a concussion from that fall. Nearby, she saw Sona pick herself up as well. She could vaguely make out the shape of her rival through her armor of ice, meaning it had thinned. That was a good sign. Her leg reminded her it was still out of commission as she tried to stand, so she reactivated her flight magic and floated slightly above the ice where she had landed.

"The Sona I know would never do something like this! She's always calm, collected, and… perfect!"

"Then you didn't know me as well as you think you did, did you Rias?"

Sona's reply shocked the other King.

"What happened to you, Sona?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't need your pity, Rias. You have your reasons for fighting, and I have mine. That's all we need."

The two heiresses met in midair again. Sona's stab with her recently-formed ice spear was sidestepped, and her spear broken in the grip of her opponent. Rias' return blast of the Power of Destruction missed its mark when the other King simply batted at her arm to make it point somewhere else.

"I'll snap you out of this!"

"Go ahead and try!"

Sona chose to take a risk. Suddenly overcharging her armor with her remaining energy, she turned it into a makeshift bomb and detonated it in her rival's face. It left her defenseless temporarily, but luckily Rias had not been prepared for it. The energy she'd been gathering dissipated harmlessly as she was flash-frozen. She fell out of the sky.

Right before she was about to hit the ground, the ice shattered, flying in every direction. Rias' whole body was covered in black and red. She warded off her rival by flaring her energy outwards, though it was noticeably weaker than when she had done it earlier.

"You have nothing to prove, Sona. Whatever it is you think you need to, it's already been proven. You're smart, you're strong, and you're beautiful. You've always been a hard-worker. What's gotten into you?"

"It's not enough," Sona responded quietly. She raised her voice. "I told you, Rias. I need this. If you won't take this seriously, then I will make you."

She summoned all of her remaining energy. Her ice armor re-formed on her body at its maximum capacity. The magic gathered in a sphere in her hands, held above her head. It soon grew to the size of the old school building.

Rias' eyes bugged out. A draw meant her loss. That attack was clearly meant to induce one.

"No! I won't let you!"

She shot a Destruction Lance at it, but it fizzled out on contact. She blinked. That was only the second time her magic had ever done that when she used it on someone else. Did Harry teach her something? Who was she kidding; of course Harry taught her something.

"Damn it, Sona!"

There was nothing for it. Rias gathered all of her remaining energy as well. Her attack was untested, but it would have to do. The Power of Destruction condensed into a small sphere, the energy spinning wildly in random directions within. She channeled more and more power into it, until it threatened to explode in her hands. The redhead was sure she would be able to survive the blast. It would just render her unconscious. As long as it took her rival out of the Game, she won.

"This is for your own good, Sona! I'm sorry!" Rias shouted.

"On that, we agree. And I am not," Sona replied. "Let's go, Rias Gremory!"

The two heiresses recited their incantations in unison.

"Break everything apart!" "Be still forever!"

Rias and Sona released their attacks at the same time.

"Destruction Maelstrom!" "Ice Age!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona awoke in the infirmary again. This time, the room wasn't empty. Next to her, her Pawn, Saji, sat in a chair with his head resting on his arms, draped across one side of her bed. On the other side of her bed, staring out the window, Harry Potter stood silently, wearing his usual all-black outfit complete with slowly-fluttering cloak. She knew he was just being dramatic. After all, there was no wind.

"Good evening, nii-san."

"Good evening, Sona."

The Wizard turned around and smiled at her. She smiled back. They spoke in whispers to avoid waking the sleeping boy.

"You've been out for the whole day," he informed her.

"I see."

"You should know that Saji hasn't left your side for longer than a few minutes at a time."

"I figured."

Harry's grin turned teasing, but Sona cut him off before he could do or say anything to embarrass her.

"What happened with the contract?"

"It's been taken care of," he said. He didn't continue.

"Harry…"

"Relax, Sona. Nobody has stepped down, and nobody is getting married against their will. Serafall and I announced our engagement publicly, though."

Sona blinked.

"…Congratulations."

"Thank you."

The two of them didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"I guess that means I can officially start calling you 'nii-san' now, right?"

"Yep!" Harry responded, popping the 'p'. "Ajuka and Griselda are also getting married, but their wedding won't be for a while."

"I… see."

Harry looked disappointed that his offhand statement didn't garner a greater reaction from the heiress.

"That's it?"

"I know you say and do stuff like that on purpose, and I'm too tired to react properly."

"…You're no fun when you're tired, So-tan."

She smirked victoriously, but it turned into a yawn.

"Heh. I suppose I'll let it go this time," Harry said. "Say, how would you like to go to Kyoto with me and Serafall? She's treating it like a pre-honeymoon, and they're celebrating a festival right now, so it's perfect timing."

"Uh huh. What's the real reason you're going?"

"To introduce Lord Orion to Yasaka."

"Uh huh…"

"And there might be an international terrorist organization at large," Harry admitted.

Even in her tired state, Sona had to actively fight the urge to scream at the man and demand an explanation. Harry obviously knew she was tempted, because he smirked victoriously in return, prompting the usual sigh from his little sister-in-law.

"Whatever. Sure. Is my Peerage allowed to come with us?"

"Of course. There's no reason why Saji wouldn't be allowed."

"I meant _all_ of my Peerage."

"I know what you meant," Harry said with a knowing smile and a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. Sona rolled her eyes in response and beckoned him over. When he was within range, she tried to swat at his arm, but he stepped back out of range again.

"Cloak."

The man's cloak instantly smacked him over the head.

"That's cheating."

"Good boy."

Harry glared at his cloak resentfully as it rippled in happiness at Sona's praise. It was his turn to sigh.

"One day, I will find a way to punish you," he promised his sentient piece of clothing. "Anyway, we leave in a couple of days. Rest up. And be sure to let Saji know he did a good job. All of your Peerage fought hard for you, but he definitely worked the hardest. Ciao!"

Harry vanished.

The Devil heiress yawned again and looked the boy next to her fondly. She didn't know if she would ever truly grow to love him, but she was willing to give it a chance. Resting her head back on her pillow, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

That night, Sona Sitri slept peacefully.


	20. CP1of7 Ch14 - Black and White

**Chapter 14 – Black and White**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part One of Seven)**

* * *

 _Sometimes, 'I love you' wasn't enough. Sometimes, 'I'm sorry' wasn't enough._

 _Sometimes, words weren't enough to express the true depth of meaning associated with what one wanted to convey. Sometimes, there were no words to express what one was feeling._

 _Harry was pretty sure this was not one of those times, because he could confidently state that right now, he was nothing but bored. And, when Harry Potter was bored, he got weird ideas. For example, what better way to alleviate your boredom than to summon someone else that was probably perpetually bored, just like you? In his mind, his reasoning was flawless._

 _It was with this thought in mind that Harry stood in a very familiar graveyard, snake on his shoulder, and began performing needlessly flashy and pointless magic. Within seconds, he had a single-person audience._

" _Greetings, Master of Death."_

" _Hello!" Harry greeted brightly for once. His demeanor was not missed by his self-designated observer._

" _You seem happy."_

" _I am. Do you know why?"_

" _I do not."_

 _The two of them stared at each other for a moment._

" _Do you want to know why?" Harry asked._

" _Yes," the old man replied._

" _Good! I'm happy because my friend, the mysterious old man, has decided to pay me a visit today! So, Mystery Man, thank you for visiting me and making me happy!"_

" _You're welcome."_

 _There was silence again as the two resumed their staring contest. Bright green met dull grey, and green blinked first._

 _Harry gave up and sighed. He should have known better. He could have had a better conversation with a conjured golem. At least they had some semblance of intelligence and personality if you gave them one._

 _Just like every other time, the old man held his hand out, and the snake on Harry's shoulder slithered off his shoulder onto the ground, making its way to its original owner and disappearing into the folds of the cloak the other man wore. Moments later, the same snake (Harry assumed) would slither right back and resettle itself on Harry's shoulder. The act had initially bothered him a lot, but over time he had gotten used to it._

" _How many times have we met now?"_

" _This is our thirteenth meeting."_

" _Lucky thirteen," Harry remarked idly._

" _The number thirteen is commonly considered unlucky in your culture."_

 _Harry resisted the urge to deadpan._

" _Y'know, I've been thinking about what you said last time."_

" _I cannot read your mind, but I believe that is false."_

" _Okay fine, the idea just occurred to me. You said you wanted to be a wizard, right? Or at least learn our magic?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Well, I've reconsidered, and I've decided you can be one!"_

" _Okay."_

" _There's just one little thing I need from you first."_

" _There is no prerequisite to being a wizard."_

" _I know. This is something that I've made up. And, since I'm technically the last wizard alive, I get to make the rules for others becoming wizards."_

" _I do not believe your system of law works that way."_

" _Actually, it does. As I am the last remaining Lord on the Wizengamot, I am its only voter and candidate for Chief Warlock. I nominate myself and vote for me. There, I'm Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. That's Magical Britain. As I am the last remaining magical authority of a member nation of the International Confederation of Wizards, I am also its only voter and the only candidate for Supreme Mugwump."_

" _The position of Supreme Mugwump is appointed by others."_

" _I don't see any other wizards around, do you?"_

" _You are a wizard."_

 _Once again, Harry fought the overpowering urge to deadpan._

" _Other than me."_

" _No."_

" _Then by default, I am the only person available to appoint others. Since I cannot appoint myself, the position falls to a vote. I cannot vote for myself in the ICW like I can in the Wizengamot, but I can cast my vote for abstention. Since no candidate received a clear majority, the position falls to the highest magical authority present. I am the only authority present, therefore I am Supreme Mugwump. There, that's the rest of the magical world."_

 _Harry cleared his throat._

" _By order of the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and Chief Warlock of the British Wizengamot, all aspiring wizards must now reveal their names and titles upon application, as well as any relevant aliases they go by. All aspiring wizards will also address fully-fledged wizards by their names. Failure to do so will result in permanent exclusion from the wizarding community, including all interactions with its members. So mote it be."_

 _A brief flash lit up the graveyard after Harry finished speaking._

" _There, done. Your move, Mystery Man."_

 _The old man paused, blinking a few times. He opened his mouth. Then, he closed it. He repeated this several times as if deciding whether to comply or doing his best impression of a goldfish. With him, Harry wasn't quite sure._

" _Well, Mr. Aspiring Wizard? All you have to do is follow the law, and you can remove the 'aspiring' from your name! I'll even induct you formally!"_

 _When the elderly man finally spoke, it was not what Harry expected to hear._

" _You are a very interesting man, Master of Death. No," the man caught himself, "Harry Potter."_

" _I've been told that by many people, although you are the first person to say so almost every single time we've met. Now, are you going to tell me your name, or are you going to leave me alone forever?"_

" _You called me your friend. Did you mean that?"_

" _Of course!" Harry said. And it was true. For all the man's cryptic actions, creepy preference for cemeteries, and borderline stalker-ish tendencies, he was the only other person Harry interacted with on a regular basis these days, which was a rather sad thought, so the wizard dismissed it. "You're basically my last friend now that the world's like this. You're the only one that's different every time I see you. Not that different, mind you, but I can tell you aren't trapped like I am."_

" _I see."_

" _I would have preferred it if you were female, and my age, or at least around my relative age in appearance, but I'll take what I can get," Harry joked._

 _The man's expression changed from its flat look for the first time that Harry could remember. He smiled._

" _Thank you, Harry Potter. I would like to be your friend."_

" _You're… welcome? And sure, we'll be the best of friends! As long as you visit often enough, anyway."_

" _I will always be watching."_

" _Aaand we're back to being creepy. Tone it down a little."_

" _Okay. I will wait here."_

" _Not what I meant. Anyway, you know what this means, now that we're friends, right?"_

" _What does it mean?" the old man asked._

" _It means you have to introduce yourself! Friends call each other by their names, after all."_

" _That is true."_

" _Exactly, so introduce yourself already!"_

 _The old man paused, and Harry was worried he might have pushed just a tad too hard. He really did want the old man to stay. His worries were unfounded, however, as the old man continued talking._

" _Very well, Harry Potter. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ophis. I am the Infinite Dragon God. You may also call me Infinity. It is nice to meet you."_

" _Ophis, huh? And Infinity? Well, I'm Harry Potter, Master of Death. Nice to meet you too! We're gonna be best buds, you and I, just you wait."_

" _I will wait as long as it takes."_

 _Harry gave in to the urge._

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Koneko adjusted her formal kimono uneasily and frowned when it did nothing to cool her down. The month was July, and it was about eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (thirty degrees Celsius) in Kyoto in the middle of the afternoon. Not quite blazing, but still too hot to be wearing a formal kimono, even indoors. Next to her, Kunou, the Fox Princess of Kyoto and daughter of its ruler, Yasaka the nine-tailed fox, also shifted uncomfortably, although her expression was carefully neutral.

The two of them stood dutifully next to said ruler as she presided over the Imperial Court of Youkai. As the leader of the West Faction, the current dominant faction of Youkai in Japan, Yasaka was the de facto spokesperson for all Japanese Youkai. However, even her patience had its limits, as was shown by the miniscule twitches of irritation in a few of her nine tails. Unconsciously mimicking her mother, Kunou's own three tails twitched every so often.

Eventually, the older kitsune could take no more.

"We find this meeting to have exhausted its usefulness," Yasaka proclaimed suddenly, cutting off the muted chatter from the other Youkai. "As such, we shall adjourn for now and continue next month. If you have urgent business, you may direct it towards one of our secretaries. Thank you all for attending." As she stood up to leave, Kunou stepped forward and spoke clearly.

"Remember that we will begin celebrating Obon with our compatriots from Kantou tomorrow, so please show proper respect towards them. Also, registration for Nurarihyon-sama's annual parade ends tonight at sunset. Please be mindful of the time of day if you plan on participating."

Koneko didn't have anything to add, so she just followed the two fox Youkai out of the room. Mother and daughter walked in silence, while Koneko trailed behind. The three of them exited the stuffy building the meeting had been taking place in, with Yasaka acknowledging the Tengu guards stationed just outside and receiving nods of respect in return. Soon after, Yasaka transported herself and her two assistants for the day directly to the entrance to her shrine. As soon as they arrived, they were hailed by a different pair of Tengu guards.

"We have returned," Yasaka said simply.

"Welcome back, Yasaka-sama, Hime-sama, Nekohime-sama" one of the Tengu said. He was wearing a fox mask instead of the traditional red mask with a long nose. "Do any of you require anything?"

"No, thank you. We are fine. Has anything happened in our absence?"

"You have two guests waiting for you in one of the waiting rooms," he responded. He did not need to specify which, because the entire property was under the control of the nine-tailed fox.

"Who are they?"

"The Satan Leviathan-sama and… the Noble Tyrant, Orion-sama."

"Hoh? We will have them sent to our private chambers. You may return to your duties."

"Hai, Yasaka-sama!" The tengu snapped a salute, and resumed standing guard as the trio of two fox Youkai and one Nekoshou made their way into the shrine proper. Once they reached the top of the stone staircase, Yasaka let out a gusty sigh that did interesting things to her prodigious chest.

"Haaa. It's finally over~"

Kunou giggled at her mother's sudden abandonment of her ruler persona. Koneko just cracked a smile.

"We will rest in our room for a bit and meet our guests. Why don't you two go play?" Yasaka suggested. Even if she was no longer playing the part of the leader of the Japanese Youkai, her speech patterns were ingrained in her mind from having used them for so long. "The parade isn't for another few hours, and We are sure Kuroka-san would appreciate the company."

Koneko's cat ears perked up instantly at the mention of her sister, but she restrained herself long enough to thank the fox Youkai and bid her a respectful farewell. Yasaka just waved the Nekoshou off and chuckled.

"Come on, Shiro-nee!" Kunou said eagerly, using the stylized form of the other girl's name she had been calling her for several years now.

"Mm."

Kunou grabbed on to Koneko's hand and ran off with her in tow. The Nekoshou allowed herself to be dragged along down the many halls of Yasaka's extravagantly-large shrine. After passing what seemed like the third koi pond, the two young girls came to a stop in front of a sliding door with two black cat paw prints and two white cat paw prints on it below the words "Kuro and Shiro's Room!" in bubble letters. It was not actually where Kuroka stayed, her usual location being a closely-guarded secret known only to Yasaka and Koneko, but recent events necessitated her presence in Kyoto.

Without hesitation, Kunou swung the door open and ran in.

"Kuro-nee! We're back!"

Her happy expression became confused when she didn't receive a response. The little kitsune looked around the cutely decorated room at the many pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals, as if expecting the woman to be hiding somewhere. To be fair, Kuroka did like to ambush the two smaller girls sometimes by shifting into her black cat form and pretending to be one of the many stuffed cat dolls sitting around.

Still standing outside, Koneko's cat ears twitched on her head and she sniffed the air carefully. It smelled familiar. Wanting to get a better read on the scent, she followed her childhood friend and foster sister into the medium-sized room.

"Kuro-nee? Are you hiding?"

Koneko ignored her friend as she continued sniffing curiously. Besides the overpowering scent of her fellow Nekoshou, she could also smell a faint muskier scent. But, beyond that, she smelled what she had come to call the scent of old magic. It smelled like a combination of a big library, a fresh spring breeze, and petroleum jelly, strangely enough. It was also a scent only carried by one person she knew, and Koneko was determined to find where he was hiding.

Working her way from one corner of the room to the next, Koneko stopped in front of one of her sister's closets. The room hidden behind the door was plenty large enough to hide more than one person. She reached out and opened it slowly, half expecting to be tackle-hugged by her sister as she had done many times in the past. As it turned out, her caution was well-warranted.

Koneko ducked under the form of Kuroka as she leapt out of the closet as a black cat with a split tail, signifying a Nekomata's maturity, and shape-shifted into her normal, busty self in midair, complete with revealing black and red kimono. The woman crashed into the unwitting figure of Kunou, who had been curiously following Koneko around as she sniffed at the air, causing them both to fall on to a strategically-positioned pile of pink pillows. Kuroka would never risk hurting either of her cute little sisters after all.

"Mmph! Mm-mm-mmph!" Kunou's words were muffled by the large pair of breasts currently shoved in her face by Kuroka, who had landed on her and then proceeded to hug her tightly. The woman pouted slightly when she noticed her intended target was deadpanning at her as usual, but brightened up immediately as she continued to smother the squirming fox Youkai in her arms.

"I think you're suffocating her, Kuroka."

"Nyahaha, she loves it. Don'tchu, Kunou-chan~?"

"Kuro-nee!"

Koneko had frozen when she heard the first voice, her ears perking up instantly. She whirled around looking from her two sisters to the person she knew should also have been hidden in the closet.

"Harry!"

The black-haired Wizard was wearing his usual all-black outfit, although his cloak was missing. He grinned and held his arms wide. Koneko accepted the unspoken invitation and latched onto his front. She had actually leapt into his arms, her head nuzzling one side of his neck affectionately, before she slid downwards and landed on her feet. One arm snaked around her back while the other gave her the head pats she loved so much. Soon enough, she was purring contentedly, her own split tail waving about idly.

"Ooh ooh, I wanna pet her too!"

Koneko's ears twitched again as she noticed the presence of a third person in the closet, behind the man she was hugging. Serafall Leviathan walked out of the closet with a smile, dressed in a casual yukata instead of her magical girl outfit. She joined in pampering the purring Nekoshou and cooed happily when the purring became louder.

"Ahh, you broke Shiro-chan. No fair!" Kuroka complained. "Oh well, I guess that means I get to spoil the other Princess of Kyoto~"

She loosened her grip on Kunou long enough to turn the girl around so that she was sitting in the woman's lap with her back to her. Then she began to pet the fox girl, ruffling her hair and scratching behind her animal ears. The girl's weak protests soon vanished as she lost the battle against her inner nature and relaxed into the older Nekoshou's ministrations. Her tails waved about idly as their owner began to drift off. The three of them spent several minutes enjoying the cuteness of the two well-known Cat and Fox Princesses of Kyoto.

With permission from Magari, the leader of the Nekomata, Koneko and Kuroka were officially adopted by Yasaka – the latter posthumously – following the fateful events surrounding the Kuroka's supposed "death" at the hands of the Devils. Since Yasaka was the ruler of the Japanese Youkai, and Kunou had already been dubbed the Princess of Kyoto, Koneko was given the title of the Cat Princess of Kyoto, often said as "Neko-hime" and later adopted as an actual nickname for her since she disliked being called Shirone by those she wasn't close to. The other Youkai refused to call her Koneko since the name was given to her by a Devil and it translated to "little kitten," which they felt was an obvious reminder of how the event that had taken her sister's life had traumatized the girl and stunted her growth.

Eventually, Harry was the first to stop, much to Koneko's vocal disappointment. She mewled pathetically, making the Wizard feel like a terrible human being.

"Don't do that to me, Koneko. You're gonna make me cry."

"Pet more," the girl demanded simply. When she saw Harry's hand visibly twitch and reach for her again, she tried harder. "Please, nya?"

"Grk!"

"Harry, if you don't pet her after that, I will be very disappointed in you."

"Et tu, Serafall?" Harry asked his fiancé with a betrayed look. Nevertheless, he did begin to pet the pouting Nekoshou again, causing her to lean into his hand and nuzzle his chest affectionately. The Wizard carefully maneuvered the pack of himself, Serafall, and Koneko towards an empty spot in the room and summoned his favorite armchair. He then sat down. Koneko and Serafall both took up positions in his lap.

"Ara, Harry-kun? Have you changed your mind about having a harem? Can I join?" Kuroka asked mischievously. Koneko blushed, while Serafall looked at the man expectantly.

"No, I haven't." To Harry's dismay, Serafall actually seemed disappointed by this. She hugged the blushing Koneko to her chest and turned the girl's head so that she was looking straight up at him with a heavy blush in her cheeks.

"How could you refuse _this_?" Serafall demanded. Koneko tried to dislodge her head from the Satan's grip, but found her neck joints magically frozen by a paper-thin layer of ice that nonetheless refused to crack or break. She looked at Harry with a combination of distress and embarrassment in her expression.

"Or _this_?"

Harry looked from Koneko and Serafall to Kuroka and Kunou, and immediately regretted his decision. The black-haired Nekoshou had slipped her already-revealing kimono down even further so that her breasts were completely exposed, and the kitsune in her lap was squirming more desperately than ever as her captor leaned in, slipped one sleeve of the girl's own kimono downwards in a taunting manner, and bit one of her fox ears. The small moan Kunou let out nearly broke Harry's self-control, but he reminded himself that the fox girl was practically a child as far as her race went. It was then that he recognized the subtle signs of magical manipulation.

Deciding that was worthy of a magical solution in turn before things really got out of hand, Harry put Kuroka into a temporary stasis, remotely pulled her kimono back up to its usual position (which was only marginally better than her being topless), and summoned Kunou out of the Nekoshou's arms and into his lap, which was becoming quite cramped. The girl let out a small squeak of surprise as she finished sailing through the air and arrived at her destination. Harry used one hand to pull the fox Youkai's kimono back into place as well before using the other to chop Serafall on the head.

"Au~!" the Satan cried out cutely.

"That's quite enough of that, Serafall. You too, Kuroka. Stop with the mind magic. If I were a lesser man, I would have completely lost control just now."

"I wouldn't complain, but that's why I love you, Harry-kun! Chuuu~" Serafall planted a kiss on her husband's cheek and hugged him tightly, with Koneko and Kunou both included in the embrace. The two Princesses of Kyoto both sported blushes as they were pressed between the Satan's breasts and Harry's body, though Kunou seemed to be the only one who was actually trying to wriggle free.

"I know I definitely wouldn't be complaining, nya," Kuroka said. Harry shot her a half-hearted glare for breaking out of his stasis so quickly. Youjutsu was more or less a perfect counter to his soul magic since it was also part of the spiritual system of spells, and Senjutsu rendered most of his low-powered spells almost useless. The older Nekoshou was an accomplished user of both, though she never used Senjutsu outside of combat. Combined with her shape-shifting abilities, this made her near impossible for Harry to deal with without resorting to extra measures.

Harry used to get rather creative when he tried to restrain Kuroka. This was not helped by the fact that the cat girl would treat anything remotely resembling rope as bondage play and continuously make lewd suggestions while trying to undress herself. The one time Harry tried to gag her, he discovered that doing so somehow turned her on more and made her writhe around on the floor as if she was having an orgasm. After that, he had simply given up and went back to putting her in stasis even though she usually broke free within seconds.

Harry sighed, prying Serafall's arms apart to give the two other girls in his lap some breathing room. Kunou leapt to her feet and tried to glare at the two women present, but on her the expression only came off as an even cuter pout. The kitsune nimbly dodged out of the way of another tackle-hug from the older Nekoshou and was quick to move out of leaping range.

"Haaah. Greetings, Harry-san," Kunou said belatedly.

"Good afternoon, Kunou. You're looking as cute as ever. How are you?"

"I am well. Thank you for your concern and for the compliment. And you?"

"I'm doing just fine too. You know you can drop the formalities when you're around me, right?"

Kunou adopted one of her rare mischievous looks, making Harry sweat a little.

"Oh? Should I go back to calling you 'Tou-chan'?"

Serafall mock-gasped in outrage.

"Harry-kun! Did you…?"

"Ooh! Harry-kun is Yasaka-sama's secret mate from years ago?" Kuroka asked excitedly.

Even Koneko looked up at him in surprise, the teasing in her expression much harder to pick out.

"NO!" Harry denied. "Kunou, please don't say stuff like that! I get enough of that from Yasaka…"

The gleam in Kunou's eyes became brighter.

"You make Mother call you 'Tou-chan'? My, Harry-san." Harry's heart sunk.

"…Pervert." The one-word insult from Koneko hurt him more than it had any right to.

"Ooh, is that what you're into, 'Tou-chan'? I can oblige, nya!" The dark-haired Nekoshou batted her eyelids at him.

"Harry~! Do you want me to call you 'Papa' when we do it?" Serafall's question had been asked a tad too enthusiastically for his sanity.

With no other recourse available to him when he was being teamed up on by all four females, Harry buried his face in his hands.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Yasaka-sama," Serafall said. She was standing in the Kyoto Youkai leader's private chambers. Next to the Satan, the armored form of Lord Orion stood in silence resolutely. Unlike the other versions of themselves, who had been let in through a secret entrance by Kuroka, this Serafall and Harry pair had been transported into Kyoto's Foreign Affairs reception area via teleportation circle and walked up to Yasaka Shrine normally. Upon seeing Lord Orion walking alongside the Satan of Foreign Affairs, the Tengu guards had stiffened. However, the man passed without acknowledging either of them, much to their relief.

"It is no trouble, Leviathan-dono. Congratulations on your engagement," Yasaka said from her seated position on a pile of cushions.

"You are too kind."

The three of them regarded each other for a moment before the two women broke into quiet giggles. Serafall skipped over to the seated Youkai leader and hugged her, rubbing her face against the kitsune's cheek. When they broke apart, the two of them remained comfortably seated while Lord Orion opted to stand.

"Yahoo, Yasaka-chan~ How've you been?"

"We have been well, Sera-san. Would you care to introduce your mysterious guest?"

"Well, this is the Noble Tyrant, Sirius Orion Black! You may recognize him from my show! He's a really good actor, y'know!"

Harry almost tripped as he was about to step forward.

"Indeed. He seems… larger than expected in person."

"Ufufu, he's larger than expected in a lot of ways."

 _Must… not… break… character._

"Truly? We may have to… find out for ourselves one of these days," Yasaka commented knowingly. Her smile was seductive as she looked at the man and batted her eyelids.

"Call me when you do!" Serafall said cheerfully. "I wanna be there!"

The armored man coughed as loudly as he could without being impolite.

"Yasaka-sama, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Her knowing smile widened further as a gleam of mischievousness entered her eyes.

"We would not be opposed to becoming further acquainted, _Orion_ -dono," she offered. "In fact, We find ourselves fascinated with your armor, and what secrets it might hide. Perhaps you could remove it?"

Harry deadpanned even though neither of the two women could see his face.

"Should I even bother?"

"Your soul may be protected, but it is still familiar to us."

Harry sighed and removed his helmet.

"Hello again, Yasaka-sama. It has been a while."

"Indeed it has, Master of Death. We would like to thank you again for your assistance all those years ago. And please, call us Yasaka."

"Only if you call me Harry."

Harry attempted to summon his favorite armchair, only to find it in use. Slightly annoyed, he opted to duplicate the many pillows the two women were lying on until they covered the floor, then plopped down heavily. His cloak fluttered outwards behind him. Just as he was about to relax, he thought of something.

"Wait, if you can recognize my soul…"

"We are aware that you have somehow achieved the impossible once more and managed to duplicate yourself. Indeed, you seem to make a habit out of doing such things. We are interested, but We are concerned that any explanations may serve to bore us."

"Maaagic~" Harry said, wiggling his gauntlet-covered fingers. "Should I be concerned about others sensing me?"

"Nuharihyon-dono and Magari-dono might, but they are not as in tune with the natural energy of Kyoto as We are. Our connection with the ley lines affords us greater perception of such things. You need not worry about your secret being revealed."

With that, the Wizard finally let himself relax. As usual, his relief was short-lived.

"Ne, ne, Harry-kun!" Serafall said as she bounced over to him. "If you're that opposed to cats, maybe you like foxes more? Yasaka-chan has huuuge boobs, too! And don't lie; I know you stare at them every time you see her! I do, too!"

Yasaka chuckled good-naturedly as Harry spluttered out an unconvincing denial.

"We do not mind, Harry-san. Indeed, We find it flattering. If ever you find yourself reconsidering your stance on monogamy, We suspect you might have at least four willing wives among the Youkai."

This got Harry to begin blushing again before his brain processed the statement. He looked at the kitsune in confusion.

"Wait, four?"

"Indeed," Yasaka responded while nodding regally. "You have the affections of our twin Princesses, Kuroka-san, and ours as well, should you accept them."

The Satan bounced back over to the other woman, taking up position behind her. Both Harry and she watched in curiosity. Harry promptly blushed even harder when his fiancé began molesting the leader of the Youkai from behind, kneading the other woman's enormous bust inside of her formal kimono. Said kimono did a poor job of hiding what Serafall was doing, and noises Yasaka was making only made him blush harder. He had a very strong suspicion they were working together to embarrass him as much as humanly possible. The kitsune was definitely accentuating her reactions on purpose.

"Look, Harry-kun! How could you possibly resist these! You love playing with mine!"

Harry tried to tear his eyes away from the debauchery going on in front of him, but his natural male urges refused to let him. He violently clamped down on his wandering imagination and, like the other version of him, decided magic was the answer.

The Wizard teleported the amorous Satan into his lap, freeing the fox Youkai who wasn't really complaining, a fact Harry stubbornly refused to acknowledge. He wrapped his arms around Serafall and pulled her closer.

"I love you and only you, Sera," he asserted clearly. "I don't need anyone else."

Serafall melted.

"D'Awwwww. I love you too, Harry-kyun~!" She turned around in his lap and straddled him, kissing him on the lips. To her disappointment, her fiancé gripped her hips firmly when she began grinding against him. He had a flat look on his face. "Ehehe. I guess I'll wait until later?"

"Yes, that would be preferable. Anyway, Lady Yasaka. As you can see, I am satisfied with what I have. Besides, Kunou at least is still a child, and Koneko has the body of one."

"We see, and what We see has only intensified our desire," Yasaka replied wryly. "Still, We shall respect your wishes. As for the two Princesses of Kyoto, you know as well as We do that Youkai reach sexual maturity quickly. If you are distressed by their appearance, rest assured that they have assuredly inherited the genes of their family members. They will not be happy to wait, but We are sure that they will if you express the desire to."

Harry ruthlessly crushed the mental images of an older Kunou and a white-haired version of Kuroka that popped into his mind. His self-control was already frayed as it was with Serafall in his lap trying to start something.

"Stop that." His demand was directed the woman in his lap and the kitsune across from him, who he was sure was the cause of those mental images. They smiled at him unrepentantly.

"I swear, you and Kuroka both will be the death of me while I'm here," Harry muttered. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I am flattered that they, and you, hold such a high opinion of me. I can only advise you to find someone who can devote themselves fully to you, for I do not think I am capable of dividing my attention that way."

"My, how noble of you," Yasaka remarked teasingly.

"He's the Noble Tyrant!" Serafall chirped happily.

"Then what about the 'Tyrant' part of his name?"

"Well, obviously, he's gonna steal the hearts of every woman he interacts with and refuse to love them like he should! Even though he can make copies of himself! I say he's making excuses!"

"My, that does sound rather tyrannical of him. What do you have to say for yourself, Harry-san?"

Yasaka giggled while Harry contemplated his life choice in getting engaged to the woman in his lap. Within moments, he decided he regretted nothing about his choice and began tickling Serafall in revenge. The Satan of Foreign Affairs tried to escape once she saw the Wizard change tactics to cover his embarrassment, but she was held in place by an iron grip.

"W-wait! Harry! I'm ticklish! I'm waaay ticklish! We can talk this out! Please!"

"Oh no. You want to tease me and all that, you deserve to be punished!"

"I'd prefer you punished me in bed…" she said before she could stop herself. The way Harry's evil-looking grin widened scared her, but only slightly. The other half of her was aroused from how she was at his mercy.

"This calls for _special_ punishment. I cast the tickle-me-forever spell! Go!"

"Nooooo!"

The private chambers of Yasaka, the leader of the Youkai, were filled with laughter for several minutes afterwards.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Please state your name and business," the Tengu guard said.

"My name is Sona Sitri, and this is my Queen, Tsubaki Shinra." Tsubaki bowed respectfully, and received a nod in return. "We came here with the Satan Leviathan, but we were separated at the Foreign Affairs Office. Is she here?" the black-haired Devil girl asked politely.

"She is. Do you have any others in your party?"

"The rest of my Peerage is here, but they are currently exploring the rest of Kyoto. They will not be coming here."

Sona resisted the urge to sigh at this. When they had first arrived as a group with her older sister and Harry disguised as Lord Orion, her sister had immediately abused her authority and declared she was going to see the leader of the Youkai, bypassing all customs and causing a general ruckus. It was a good thing everyone at the department was more or less used to her antics by now.

Then, when they had been allowed through shortly thereafter, Saji had been pulled aside by Ruruko and Momo to one of the stalls set up for the Gion Matsuri. The trio had proceeded to run off on their own before Sona noticed they were gone, busy as she was asking for directions to their hotel. From there, her Peerage had slowly been whittled down by stalls on the way to Yasaka Shrine, and she had been too tired to bother stopping them. Eventually, she had dismissed her Peerage to enjoy the festival told them to meet up at the hotel later tonight. Only Tsubaki had opted to stay with her.

The Tengu guard nodded in acceptance.

"Please take care to show proper respect to Yasaka-sama. You will be directed to your waiting room once you enter the shrine proper. Please do not wander." With that, the guard returned to his duties.

"Thank you," Sona said as she began walking up the stone steps, followed by her Queen. Just like the guard had informed them, when they set foot past the shrine gate at the top of the steps, a small, ghost-like blue fireball sprang into existence in front of them. The fireball bobbed in place a few times before floating down one of the many halls. The two Devils followed it diligently.

After too many turns for her to remember, which Sona suspected was due to some sort of magical ward on the premises rather than any deficiencies in her own memory, the fireball stopped in front of two large sliding doors. She recognized the sounds of laughter coming from within.

Resigning herself, Sona opened the doors.

"SO-TAN~!"

"Kyaa-mmmmph?!"

She was pulled through the air as if gravity were centered on Serafall rather than the ground, and swiftly found herself smothered in her older sister's embrace, both of them sitting in her brother-in-law's lap. Harry smiled at her.

"Glad you could finally join us, So-tan."

"Grr. Eh?"

It was then that Sona noticed that he was dressed in black armor with his helmet off.

"Nii-san, why aren't you wearing your helmet?"

"Everyone here knows who I am, so there's no point," he replied simply.

"And, and! If he has his helmet on, I can't do this! Muah!" Serafall planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, that too."

Getting over the initial shock of seeing her King being pulled through the air like a ragdoll, Tsubaki stepped into the room bowed respectfully to everyone else. The door closed behind her of its own accord.

"Baki-chan~! Gimme a hug!"

"I will politely decline, Leviathan-sama."

"Hey, Tsubaki," Harry greeted easily, ignoring the outrageous pout Serafall made when Sona's Queen refused to join in the hug. "Thanks for having some common sense."

"Hello, Harry-san. And you're welcome. Your lap looks quite occupied at the moment."

Harry sighed.

"I'm going to get all of you to call me just 'Harry' one day, watch me."

Tsubaki disagreed, but did not voice her opinion.

"Let. Me. Go!"

"Fiiine~"

Sona rose to her feet shakily and glared half-heartedly at her sister for embarrassing her and her brother for not helping. Neither was moved. After the two new arrivals exchanged greetings with Yasaka, who was watching the proceedings with some amusement, Sona turned back to look at her two siblings accusingly.

"Nee-san, nii-san, you two left without us."

"Blame Serafall," Harry said without hesitation.

"Mou, I didn't think you'd be interested in hearing about politics and all this icky stuff. Why didn't you go have fun at the festival? I bet the rest of your Peerage did!"

"Urk."

"You need to learn to have fun, So-tan! Where's Saji-kun? Why don't the two of you go draw a love fortune?"

Sona blushed.

"I-I don't believe in those! And don't change the subject! We're supposed to accompany you everywhere. Actually, you're technically our chaperone!"

"I don't know who thought that was a good idea…" Harry commented idly. Serafall stuck her tongue out and bonked herself on the head with her fist.

"Yeah, well… Anyway, let's get down to business! Yasaka-chan! How're things between the two Youkai factions?"

Everyone else in the room shot the Satan a flat look at the transparent attempt to dodge responsibility, but Yasaka responded dutifully.

"Relations between the East and West Factions are smooth. We are holding joint festivities over the next several days that We encourage you to attend and enjoy."

"That's sounds like a great idea! Harry! So-tan! Let's go!"

"What about business?" Harry reminded her.

Sona pinched the bridge of her nose, while Tsubaki and Yasaka both stifled chuckles.

"Business is boring!" Serafall complained. "Oh, I know!" She leapt out of Harry's lap and ran over to Sona, who began backing away cautiously. Unfortunately for the younger Devil, the room wasn't big enough for her to avoid her sister when she was determined. In short order, Serafall once again had the squirming figure of her younger sister in her arms.

"Ahem! Lord Orion! I dub thee a temporary Foreign Affairs Officer! Take care of everything for me, 'kay? Thanks, bye!" She was gone out the door before anyone else could stop her. Tsubaki looked between Harry and the open door, before shooting him an apologetic look and following after her abducted King.

Harry blinked.

"Did she just…?"

"We believe she just did, yes."

The Wizard sighed.

"Well, I suppose I should have seen this coming, and this is as good an opportunity as any. Lady Yasaka, have you noticed any strange activities in your territories lately?" he asked.

"We refuse to answer."

Harry blinked again.

"What? Why?"

"You will address us as 'Yasaka', or we will not speak further."

Her teasing smile was back. Harry deadpanned before a smile of his own broke out on his face.

"Okay, fine. Yasaka. No wonder you and Sera get along so well. Anyway, have you noticed anything strange recently?"

Yasaka hummed thoughtfully.

"Plenty of 'strange' things happen. We are Youkai, after all. Perhaps you could be more specific?"

"You should have been informed about the Khaos Brigade as early as a couple of days ago. The leaders of the Three Factions and I are fairly certain their next target isn't one of us. They have to know we're allied by now, and we're all on high alert."

"But are we not allies of the Devils, and by extension the Three Factions, as well?"

"You are, but just because you may not be the target doesn't mean they aren't operating in your territory. We're keeping a close eye on the Pureblood Devils, and Azazel is keeping tabs on certain Fallen as well. Michael hasn't found anyone he deems suspicious yet, but it's only a matter of time."

Yasaka continued humming ponderously.

"We suppose… there have been some particularly strange movements by the East Faction surrounding the annual Hyakki Yakou, but Nurarihyon-dono screens the participants very closely with the help of Magari-dono."

The Hyakki Yakou, or Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, was an annual event hosted by the leader of the East Faction of Youkai, Nurarihyon. It used to be a separate event, but ever since the two Youkai factions forged a closer alliance, it was scheduled to take place in the middle of the Gion Matsuri, or Gion Festival. Said festival was hosted in Kyoto by the West Faction of Youkai, headed by Yasaka. In folklore, the Night Parade was an infamous event where Youkai would whisk away all who found themselves caught up in it by being outside at night, but nowadays, in reality the worst that could happen to anyone was that they got drunk and woke up in a different district.

Criminal elements in Japan used to abduct people in the middle of the summer, which led to the myth that the Youkai were responsible. Even though both Yasaka and Nurarihyon worked tirelessly to stamp out said elements, the rumor persisted. Over time, the leader of the parade eventually decided to have some fun with it and perpetuated the rumor by actually encouraging the Youkai under his leadership to drink and make merry with the humans brave enough to be outside at night, changing the sinister nature of the legend associated with his parade into a more mischievous one.

Harry had no idea what the Khaos Brigade's true objective was yet, but if its members were looking to take advantage of the festivities and Night Parade, they could feasibly stage an actual abduction. He snapped out of his thoughts when Yasaka coughed politely.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking about something."

"We realize, and We are not offended by it. As We were saying, the two of them have purged several participants already. We cannot imagine the Khaos Brigade gaining a solid foothold in recent events, though We are not certain they would not be able to take advantage of them somehow."

"My thoughts exactly. Can I speak with those that were forbidden from participation? And possibly the leader of the Nekomata, Lady Magari?"

"That can be arranged, but you will have to hurry, as the parade begins in three days. Do you not wish to meet with Nurarihyon-dono?"

Harry's expression soured.

"Sera's scheduled to meet with him later today. I'll most likely be attending as Lord Orion. We'll request the same of him, but I understand that the Night Parade is something of a long-standing tradition. He might not appreciate us stepping on his toes," he reasoned.

"We see. In that case, We will endeavor to arrange discrete meetings. Can We assume that you will be posing as Lord Orion for the duration of your stay?"

"Actually, he won't be here much longer. His reasons for being here began and ended with establishing contact with the leaders of the Youkai, with help from Sera as the Satan Leviathan of Foreign Affairs. I'll have him retire elsewhere after tonight to hopefully lure people out."

"Very cunning of you. Have you considered a career in politics? We are always on the search for competent advisors, and We would welcome you as a guest."

"It's been suggested to me, but no thank you. I've never been a fan of politics."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sona flopped down into her futon the moment she was close enough, sighing explosively. Her Queen regarded her actions with amusement. The two of them shared a hotel room for four people in the combination onsen and inn they had been booked by Serafall.

The Foreign Affairs Satan had booked three four-person rooms for the eleven of them (Harry, Serafall, Lord Orion, Sona, and her six Peerage members, not including her Knight Tomoe who was still recovering), but since Yasaka had offered her and Harry a room, and Lord Orion was just another version of Harry and wasn't planning on staying any nights at all, that meant Sona and the remaining members of her Peerage got all three rooms to themselves.

Sona and Tsubaki had gotten one room, the four other females of her Peerage another, and Saji, being the sole male, got a room all to himself. His room was also used to store excess luggage and materials they brought along for the trip or bought during it.

Currently, the Sitri heiress was doing her level best to forget everything that had occurred over the past couple of hours. The eternally-energetic magical girl Satan had dragged her across town, visiting anything and everything that caught her eye, and somehow finding a way to embarrass her at the smallest opportunity. Sona would not be surprised if the entire town knew of her name by tomorrow morning.

Which of course meant something big was going on, if she was being used as additional bait, or as a distraction. She wasn't quite sure which it was yet, but she knew who to ask…

"Evenin', So-tan. How are you feeling?"

Speak of the Devil, or Wizard, and he shall appear. Sona was too tired to even be surprised by his sudden appearance, though Tsubaki did jump a little in her seat.

"Harry-san, please don't do that."

"I make no promises, Tsubaki."

While her Queen half-glared, half-pouted at the man, Sona turned over to regard him carefully. He looked like he always did, messy black hair hanging over bright green eyes. He had swapped his usual outfit for a casual black yukata with white highlights, and was barefoot.

"Nii-san," she greeted. "How did your meeting with Nurarihyon-sama go?"

"Terribly. He was uncooperative, though I get the feeling it was more because he was offended we didn't have faith in his abilities than any real malicious intent. Sera and I will meet with Lady Magari tomorrow. Yasaka has also managed to arrange for meetings between us and some of the rejected candidates for Nurarihyon's Night Parade."

"'Lady' Magari?"

"It's the closest English equivalent to the Japanese suffix I'm going for, and I'm speaking in English through the translation spell. Your Devil's tongue is a weird bit of magic I'm not inclined to decipher."

"You don't address the other high-ranking Youkai respectfully like that."

"Yasaka refuses to talk to me if I do. Lady Magari is… special. She and I know each other from an incident a while back."

Sona didn't have to ask which incident, though she did try to tease her older brother-in-law a little.

"Is this something Sera-nee should know about?"

"Ha ha. I bet Sera'd be ecstatic if I told her I was involved with someone else or even thinking of it."

The heiress adopted a slightly pained look at that reminder.

"Right. Never mind."

Neither of them spoke for a bit. Eventually, Sona's suppressed curiosity boiled over.

"Okay, spill. Why am I here?"

"To have fun!" Harry answered readily. "Also, to draw attention away from me."

"I figured that might be the case."

Harry walked over to her and ruffled her hair playfully. She didn't bother stopping him. Nor did she bother to stop him when he began petting her head. She knew from experience he gave good head pats. She still remembered the shocked faces of half the school when a picture was released of Kuoh Academy's mascot, Koneko, blissed out in the man's lap while he did paperwork in his office.

"Don't worry about a thing, Sona. Sera and I, along with Yasaka, have everything mostly under control. You won't have to lift a finger, even to look pretty."

She scoffed lightly at his compliment.

"So what, I enjoy the festival and you do all the work behind the scenes? I'm not some princess you need to protect all the time, nii-san. I'm not as strong as you or Sera-nee, but you can't shelter me forever. My Peerage and I can handle some small-time security, surely."

"Tsubaki, do you agree with this? You may end up losing a lot of your free time."

"I trust in my King and agree with her opinion," the Queen replied without hesitation.

"Hmm… Fine."

Sona looked at him in surprise. She had expected it to be much harder to convince him to let them participate in whatever he was planning. She actually had a compiled list of reasons up to and including subtle threats of complaining to her older sister that Harry insinuated she was too weak or dumb to help out.

"Really?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Absolutely. You're right. You're more than capable of helping out; I just wanted you to be able to enjoy everything that's going on what with the things that have happened recently."

Sona smiled.

"Thank you, nii-san, but that's okay. Like I said, you can't shelter me forever, and my Peerage and I need more real world experience anyway. So, what can we help with?"

"Well, there are more werewolves and vampires in town than usual, but we're fairly sure that's just chance. Still, there's one pack in particular I could use your help investigating. They applied to participate in the Night Parade, but were rejected because they weren't Youkai."

"Why would werewolves want to participate in the Hyakki Yakou?" Sona asked in confusion.

"That's what I want you to figure out. They aren't really that suspicious, but you never know. Oh, and there's one more person I'd like you to meet. You'll be working with her."

Harry stood up, and Sona found her head suddenly felt like it was missing a crucial part of its existence with the absence of her big brother's hand. Her brother's head pats were dangerous. Maybe they would weaponize them somehow…?

Sona's attention was redirected to her brother when he waved a hand around in the air idly. Nothing happened.

"Hm? Is she ignoring me again?" Harry snapped a few times. "Hey! You aren't allowed to ignore me! You're technically my familiar right now!"

After a few more snaps and slightly more frantic hand-waving, a magic circle finally began expanding in the air next to him. When it reached full size, there was a flash of bright light, and both Sona and Tsubaki had to blink a few times to clear the spots from their eyes.

"Must you call on me so often?" a soft female voice asked.

"The last time I called on you was back when Ajuka first introduced you to me a couple of days ago," Harry pointed out.

"Exactly. And nothing has happened that requires my presence yet. If it did, he would have contacted me first."

"Y'know he asked you to help me for a reason, right? He isn't here in Kyoto. He's busy elsewhere. How do you expect to help me if you don't actually show up?" Harry asked in exasperation.

Sona and Tsubaki both gaped at the woman standing there. The woman was taller than Harry just slightly, and was apparently very fond of the color blue. Her long, pale blue hair matched her dark blue eyes, and she was dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, wearing navy blue fingerless gloves and midnight blue shoes. Harry snapped once more, and her clothing was transformed into a casual sky blue yukata. She examined her new clothing critically, before sighing and nodding in grudging approval.

"Obviously, you aren't supposed to summon me unless you actually need help. Unless the two Devils over there are assaulting you, you don't look like you're in any danger," the woman said flatly.

"Is that any way to talk to your temporary master? Anyway, I do actually have something important for you. The people who distorted the rules of the Rating Game between Rias and Diodora may be present here, and I have an idea of where to look first."

For the first time since she appeared, the woman displayed some interest.

"Oh?"

"The Night Parade held by Nurarihyon has had an abnormally high amount of applicants. We have good reason to believe it will be used as a cover for their next operation. I want you to help them," Harry said, pointing at the two dumbstruck Devils, "with investigating one of the groups."

"I do not see why this should interest me. Just call on me when you find the ones responsible."

"I hear the werewolf pack may or may not be in possession of a fragment of your treasure, but if you really aren't interested…" he trailed off.

"I'll do it."

Harry smirked.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Grr…" The woman visibly restrained herself. Her expression shifted. "I'll do it, Master."

"Don't call me that," Harry said reflexively.

"I'm just showing proper respect to you as my master, Master. Now then, I'll be waiting for your summons tomorrow. Good night, Master."

By the time the woman vanished, her temporary master was contemplating a silencing spell. Specifically, how powerful he would have to make one for it to work on his generally uncooperative familiar. The overpowering cold aura she had been emanating vanished when its owner transported herself back to wherever she had been summoned from. Moments later, Harry realized he had forgotten to actually introduce her to the two Devils. He smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Bugger, I forgot to actually introduce her. Ah well, that was your partner for the investigation. I'm sure you'll get along with her just fine. I'll formally introduce you all tomorrow. For now, get some rest. Good night, So-tan, Tsubaki."

Harry vanished as well, leaving behind two speechless female Devils. A full minute passed before either thought to put words to what they had just seen.

"Was that…?" Tsubaki asked slowly.

"Yeah," her King responded.

"Have I told ever told you your big brother is amazing?" she asked in wonder.

"Yes, but I think this warrants a reinforcement," Sona replied, equally stunned.

"Your big brother is amazing. Also, quite possibly insane."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

 **We have a poll up at the top of my profile! Come vote for the next arc!**

The plot of this arc is centered on Obon and the Hyakki Yakou (with the Gion Matsuri happening in the background). However, the arc's name comes from events in the past that have effects in the present. Keep that in mind.

The familiar bond is a bond, but don't get your hopes up… unless this is reverse psychology, and we actually hinted at Harry's Peerage members and the plot-reveal in the same introductory chapter to the arc. You never know!

In the next update, a ghost from Harry's past makes an appearance, literally! Also, day one of Obon, the Japanese festival of the dead!


	21. CP2of7 Ch15 - Soul

**Chapter 15 – Soul**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Two of Seven)**

* * *

"Kuroka, get out of our bed and put some clothes on."

The dark-haired Nekoshou didn't stir.

"I know you're awake. You too, Sera. Don't encourage her."

Harry's demands were summarily ignored by the two nude women lying on top of him. He checked the wards on the room and found them in the same condition as he had left them in last night. The four-poster bed the three of them laid in was out-of-place in the spacious Japanese-style room in Yasaka's estate, as was the armchair in the corner, but it wasn't like she would care so long as he made sure to enchant the legs of all the furniture to not damage the tatami flooring.

Kuroka nuzzled the side of his neck, beginning to rub along him sensually. The Wizard allowed himself a few more seconds of enjoying the additional warm body pressed against him before he teleported the fake-sleeping woman into the pond outside. Or at least, he tried to. The woman disappeared from the room, and he could tell his spell had deposited her above the koi pond.

But, much to his disappointment, he didn't hear a splash.

"That was mean, Harry-kun." His fiancé had opened her eyes, abandoning her own illusion of being asleep.

The door slid open a second later as the Nekoshou sauntered back in.

"Nyahaha, it took him longer that time. Admit it, Harry-kun. You want me!"

"I want you to respect my wife."

He received a kiss of appreciation for that.

"I do! I asked her permission and everything!"

His momentary hope of her having gained a sense of modesty overnight evaporated. Then again, he should have known better. After all, this was the woman who cosplayed as a magical girl everywhere, no matter how inappropriate it was for the occasion. It was a small miracle he had managed to convince her to dress in a yukata for her stay here, though her current track record was such that she wore it less often than she wasn't wearing anything at all. Harry did not have high hopes of ending the trip with that ratio overturned, nor did he particularly want to.

Ever since her engagement was made public, Serafall also had the tendency to cheerfully tell all and sundry about how much 'sexy fun times' she was having with her husband as long as her conversation partners were female, which was _all the time_. Over the last few days, she outright refused to converse with other men unless she absolutely had to, creating many difficulties for others in her capacity as Satan of Foreign Affairs. Sirzechs and Ajuka had both been dumbfounded when she ignored them in favor of their wives. Thankfully, everyone she dealt with was used to her eccentricities and somehow had female staff on hand to deal with this exact circumstance. Truly the other factions the Devils treated with were to be praised for their forethought.

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts. He shot the woman who definitely wasn't engaged to him a dry look.

"I want you to respect my boundaries."

"I do! You didn't let me sleep with you all those years ago because you said I was too young. Well, now I'm definitely an adult! See?" Kuroka posed, causing Harry to look back at the woman in bed with him. He fully intended to blame her for his body's reactions.

"Besides, you let Shiro-chan sleep with you!"

It took a moment for the statement to register in his mind. When it did, he snapped to full alertness and checked the bed, but there seemed to be no other occupants besides his fiancé. Then, he noticed the small white cat curled up in on the pillow between the two of them. When had she gotten there?

"Eh, she can stay. At least she isn't naked."

He scratched behind Koneko's ears, eliciting a light purr.

"I know you know our clothes carry over to our other forms, but that doesn't mean they're _part_ of them. Do you see her wearing anything right now?"

Harry froze and slowly turned his head to look at Koneko again. She didn't move except to let out a yawn. Yellow eyes opened to stare back at him. The cat let out a cute mew that gradually wore down any resistance to the idea of her being there that might have taken root in his mind.

"Ooh, that's sneaky! When did you learn Youjutsu again?"

Two blinks. Puzzle pieces started falling into place.

"Koneko…"

The cat glared at her sister. Seconds later, she reluctantly got to her feet and padded from the middle of the pillow to the other side, brushing along Harry's neck as she climbed over him, and leapt off of the bed. Now standing on the tatami mat floor, she stretched and transformed into the familiar white-haired girl. She was dressed in cat paw-print pajamas, and her usual flat expression was replaced by one of visible irritation as she continued to glare balefully at her fellow Nekoshou.

Serafall sat up in bed and watched the proceedings with an unfalteringly bright smile. Harry followed her in sitting up, though his own face held more of a flat look mixed with exasperation.

"…Kuro-baka."

"Hey!"

Koneko ignored her sister's protests and walked past her out of the room. She stopped right outside the sliding door.

"Need to prepare for ceremony. Bye-bye."

With that, the petite Devil-Nekoshou hybrid was gone. Soon, Kuroka's mock-offended look became more predatory.

"Well, now that she's gone…"

She made to pounce back onto the bed, but a snap stasis spell paused her actions long enough for Harry to teleport her outside again. Disappointingly, no splash was heard. Serafall giggled.

"Remember when she used to fall in?" she asked, leaning against her fiancé.

"I miss those times." Despite his actions, he was smiling fondly as well.

"I've been practicing!" Kuroka proclaimed after reentering the room for the second time. "In fact, I bet you won't be able to do that again!"

Harry looked at her curiously and decided to test her. True to her word, his third teleportation spell of the morning was blocked completely, and the stasis spell he tried to cast fizzled away impotently when it made contact. Mage sight showed him a thin layer of energy covering his target that he recognized as an application of Senjutsu. He considered apparition, but his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the estate's owner.

"We are glad to see all of you so lively this early in the morning."

Harry looked behind Kuroka and quickly averted his eyes back to his wife once more. His question was voiced in a strained tone.

"Yasaka, is your entire estate clothing-optional, or do all Youkai sleep naked?"

Standing in the doorway, the nine-tailed fox in human form giggled. The Youkai leader's lack of clothing didn't seem to bother her as she made no move to cover herself.

"The sleeping habits of Youkai are as varied as that of most other races. If you are curious, We do indeed sleep like this," she responded, using the royal "we" to refer to herself as usual. "Do not worry for us; nobody else is allowed in our shrine and We can sense the presence of any foreign souls. There is no risk of exposure to those We do not wish to see us as We currently are."

"Foursome!" Kuroka immediately cried. She was instantly apparated back to her room courtesy of the sole male present. She reappeared moments later, having transported herself back in spite of the anti-teleportation ward he had set up.

"Pleaaase, nya?"

To Harry's relief, Yasaka came to his rescue.

"Now now, Kuroka-san. We have promised him that he shall not be pursued against his will. That statement applies to you as well," she chided.

"But you do it all the time whenever he visits," Kuroka complained.

"We make the offer _despite_ his will. There is a difference."

"Harry-kun is free to do whatever he wants!" Serafall chirped. "As long as he loves me, too! Oh, and we get married first," she added as an afterthought.

The man in question palmed his face at her unhelpful contribution to the conversation. It was made worse by the fact that Harry knew Serafall didn't really want him to get a harem, but would also not particularly mind if he ended up with one so long as it was not through any obvious effort on his part. He supposed her attempts at recruiting others to the cause were due to her Pureblood upbringing.

"That sounds like permission! Harry-kun, how would you like to be a guest of honor in the Gion Matsuri? We could hold a formal wedding and everything! I'm sure Yasaka-sama could arrange it!"

Serafall's eyes lit up, making her fiancé nervous.

"Ooh! That sounds like an amazing idea, Kuro-chan! Let's do it! Yasaka-chan, make it happen!"

Harry made to scold her for ordering the leader of another faction, but said leader waved it off easily.

"We would be willing to make the addition to the schedule, but unfortunately, Harry-san cannot participate because he is not a Youkai. However, we sense a natural pocket of unholy energy in his soul that was not present the last time he visited. Perhaps, if he were to use one of his famed Tyrant Pieces on one of us…"

Harry was taken off-guard by her casual admission of knowledge.

"What? You're using your Pieces now?! I volunteer! Pick me, Master! Do me now!"

Still mentally-unbalanced, he wasn't quick enough to block Kuroka's pounce and ended up with the buxom woman's assets stuffed in his face. She clung to him tightly as she lay on top of him. Serafall sat by and watched, giggling. She even gave the other woman a thumbs-up out of Harry's sight. Yasaka hid her own laughter, though the amusement in her eyes and the way her fox tails waved through the air were clear signs of her mirth.

"I'll be good, I promise! I'll even stop bugging you to have sex with me!"

Harry stopped his struggling and stared up at her in shock. He was sorely tempted to bond her to a Piece right then. As an afterthought, he checked himself for mental manipulation and found none. Had Kuroka really worn him down this much?

"For a couple of days, anyway."

Harry's deadpan would have made most of Koneko's expressions seem as if she were bursting with excitement in comparison. He resumed trying to pry her off of him, though her Senjutsu-enhanced strength allowed Kuroka to overpower his attempts. She laughed triumphantly, before letting out a cry as her spiritual energy failed her and she was booted from the bed.

"You cheated! You used your weird magic!" she accused. She wasn't sure how it worked, but she was sure he had. It was the only time she ever lost control of her powers.

"You're using Senjutsu," Harry pointed out.

"I'm a Nekoshou! It's what we do!"

"And I'm a wizard. 'Weird magic' describes pretty much all we do."

Kuroka pouted at him. Soon, a mischievous glint entered her eyes and her lips widened in a smile. The subject of her gaze regarded her cautiously.

"Okay, fine. How about if you don't make me yours, I'll teach Shiro-chan how to _really_ use Youjutsu?"

At first, Harry didn't know why she said that as if it were a threat. Koneko learning new things was exactly what he wanted to happen. Slowly, realization dawned on him.

"You wouldn't."

"Nyahaha, try me!"

Yasaka cleared her throat pointedly, interposing herself in between the two of them.

"As amused as We are, We regrettably have duties to attend to. We believe both of you have important tasks to accomplish today as well, do you not?"

She faced Harry first, who carefully maintained eye contact with her. Her voice became more teasing as she spoke.

"Your meeting with Magari-dono is in an hour, Harry-san. We understand that you wish to commune with the other Devils before then?"

She turned to address Kuroka, her tone and expression becoming apologetic.

"Kuroka-san, you must prepare for the ceremony as well. We will soon have guests here."

The Nekoshou deflated slightly, her ears and tail drooping.

"…Fiiine."

She trudged out of the room, sending one last smoldering look at Harry over her shoulder. Serafall stopped her cuddling and adopted a sad look.

"Poor Kuro-chan. Every single year she has to hide away while Koneko-chan visits her grave."

Harry agreed silently, but with any luck, this year would be the last.

"We must prepare for our daily duties as well. We wish you success in your endeavors, 'Master'."

Harry's eye twitched at the woman's parting remark. Serafall noticed it and predictably chose to interpret it the worst way possible.

"Is that why you keep rejecting everyone? Maybe you're secretly a sub?"

"…I think you deserve another punishment."

"No, not again!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Half an hour later, the engaged pair of Wizard and Satan walked down the street to the inn Sona and her Peerage were staying at. Serafall was clinging to her fiancé's arm and unsuccessfully trying to pull him towards various stalls situated on either side of the street.

"Later, Sera. We have a meeting to get to, and Sona's waiting for us."

"I'm hungry now!"

They arrived at their destination.

"I bought you a snack five minutes ago, and we're having breakfast with Ms. Magari. Be patient."

Harry walked inside, half-dragging Serafall with him. Waiting in the lobby were Sona and Tsubaki, the Sitri heiress rising from her seat when she saw them.

"Good morning, nii-san, nee-san. Is, is _she_ not with you?"

"So-tan! Baki-chan! Gimme a hug!"

Sona's Queen wisely took a step away from her King. Sona sighed as her sister rubbed her cheek against hers, having not bothered to try and avoid her.

"Good morning, Sona, Tsubaki. And no, I'll summon her in a bit. Where's everyone else?"

"Summon who?"

"Having breakfast," Tsubaki answered, disregarding Serafall's question. When Harry looked at her and Sona questioningly, she added, "We ate earlier."

Serafall made a face.

"Bleh. It's like, eight. How could you get up even earlier?"

"Not all of us have the luxury of sleeping in, nee-san. Some of us actually do work."

The Satan clutched at her chest theatrically.

"How cruel, So-tan! I work plenty hard!"

"Is that why you passed everything on to nii-san yesterday?"

"That was one time! Right, Harry-kun?"

Everyone looked at Harry expectantly. He blinked when he realized he was the center of attention.

"Sorry, I zoned out. Still a little sleepy, I suppose. Anyway, call everyone over. Sera and I have somewhere to be soon and I need to explain a few things to you all."

Tsubaki departed to gather her fellow Peerage members.

"Where are the werewolves staying?" Sona asked.

"They've got their own district, but the group I want you to investigate is camping outside of town."

"Oh?"

"Head out the east gate, and you'll run right into them on the edge of the forest."

Sona nodded. Then, she realized the two of them were alone.

"Where did nee-san go?"

"She said she was hungry, so I think she followed Tsubaki to get breakfast."

"Don't the two of you have a meeting to attend?"

Harry shrugged.

"I can teleport."

"Through wards?"

"I can apparate."

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the rest of Sona's Peerage, led by Saji. Serafall was nowhere to be seen.

"Yosh! Harry-san! I heard we're helping you with something today! Where are we headed?" he asked.

"I'm not going with you. I have meetings and interviews to attend. As for where you're going, Sona can explain it to you later. First, I want to introduce you all to someone."

Harry disregarded the subtle warnings of his sister-in-law and snapped. This time, the reaction was immediate as the same magic circle as last night shimmered into existence, expanding rapidly. The blue-haired woman appeared, dressed in the yukata her temporary master had transfigured for her yesterday. The cold aura that usually accompanied her was absent.

"Hm? Is that…?"

Her attention was drawn to the boy gaping at her from in front of the nearby pack of Devils.

"It is. So, you are the wielder of Vritra's soul?"

"Ah? Y-yes! Saji Genshirou! Nice to meet you, ma'am!"

She nodded in approval.

"Indeed, well met. I am Tiamat, strongest of the Five Great Dragon Kings." The Devils who weren't busy staring, open-mouthed, at her choked in surprise. "I look forward to seeing your growth."

"Hai! I won't disappoint you!"

Harry cleared his throat. The female Dragon looked at him curiously.

"Yes?"

"…Nothing. Anyway, as you've heard, this is Tiamat. She'll be helping you out just for today. Tiamat, you and I know what the other wants, so work with me here. The gem is in the hands of their leader. Found out why they're here, and I'll do whatever it takes to get it back to you. And _don't_ kill them."

"They deserve it for taking what does not belong to them. What's stopping me from negotiating for it myself?" Even if was hers originally, her Dragon pride would not let her steal from another.

"I know where Ddraig is. You can go bug his host to help you find the rest of your hoard later. And I never said you couldn't. Your presence will help on its own."

Tiamat's eyes lit up.

"Hmm. I suppose that is an acceptable compromise. But, I am curious. Why do you care so much as to petition for my assistance so strongly? You could just as easily find out yourself."

Before the Wizard could formulate a response, they were interrupted by a third voice.

"Harry, why is Tiamat here?"

The two adults looked at Serafall, who had just arrived from an adjacent hallway.

"She's helping with our investigation."

"Hmmmm?"

Tiamat was a fair bit taller than Serafall, which made the other woman's act of examining her from up close look more comical than it would have otherwise. After several seconds in which everyone else watched with baited breath, she eventually shook her head.

"Nope, no good. She won't work."

"I have no interest in your thinly-veiled attempts at expanding his nonexistent harem."

"Yep, definitely no good."

Tiamat's eye twitched slightly. Harry quickly made to defuse the situation.

"A-anyway, Sera, we should get going. Good luck, So-tan! And Tiamat, remember, no killing!"

With that, he pushed his fiancé out the door. The remaining Devils looked at the female Dragon King, not sure what to say. When the woman spoke, a couple of the girls jumped slightly.

"So, where is this werewolf pack?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Good morning, Lady Magari. Thank you for meeting with us."

Harry and Sera were sat at a long table covered with several plates of food. Across from them sat a woman who looked like she was in her twenties, with pure white hair hanging straight down her back. Her bangs had a couple of black flecks scattered throughout, and she wore an amused smile as she watched the other woman present wolf down as much food as she could fit into her bowl at once.

"Hello again, Harry-san. It is nice to see you again. Why do you insist on addressing me so respectfully? I'm quite sure I've heard you call Yasaka-sama without her honorific."

"Call it force of habit. You have a very… noble and refined air to you."

"And Yasaka-sama does not?"

"I've seen her without her public persona one too many times," Harry replied, laughing. "Besides, she refuses to talk to me otherwise."

"If I were to insist the same, would that sway you?"

Harry's laughter abruptly stopped, but the Nekomata leader began chuckling instead.

"You can relax, Harry-san. I don't really care what you call me."

He sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Lady Magari."

"It is no trouble. So, what can I do for you and your wife today?"

Serafall paused mid-mouthful, her cheeks puffed outwards. She looked at Harry and held out her hand. Her trademarked magical staff materialized in her grip. She then used it to tap her bemused fiancé on both shoulders, followed by his head, before twirling it in a circle above him, causing random glitters to appear in the air that descended on and around him.

Harry continued watching her as she resumed eating.

"I guess that means I'm in charge of the work. Again."

"Think of it this way: she trusts you implicitly and believes you to be reliable enough for the task."

An enthusiastic thumbs up.

"Uh huh. We're here to ask you about the abnormally high numbers of applicants for this year's Night Parade."

"Oh? And here I thought you were going to ask me for permission," the elder Nekomata said. "I was about to redirect you to Yasaka-sama. She adopted them after all."

"Not you too!"

"You could say I have more reason to believe that to have been the reason for your visit," she said mysteriously. She wore a knowing smile. Harry didn't react.

"It's not permanent."

"They may as well be."

"But it's not. Wait, 'they'?"

"You've got a pair now."

Harry thanked whatever deities might be listening that the woman seated next to him was so absorbed in her food. He carefully wrapped an arm around her. She leaned into him happily, somehow still eating without getting any food on either of them.

"I'm happily engaged, and will be happily married very soon."

Serafall hummed contentedly.

"It does not make a difference to us Youkai, and I am well aware of the social structure of both the Underworld and entities such as yourself. I greatly respect your dedication given your longevity, but sooner or later you will have to accept that your wishes will be overridden."

Harry grimaced momentarily.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Anyway, be serious, Lady Magari. Do you know anything?"

"I know a great many things, but I assume you know more. The number of applicants we've gotten is not outside of the range of plausibility, although it is hovering at the edge. None of the rejected parties comes to mind as particularly suspicious, but we did get an unusual applicant in a werewolf group. I assume you've already been informed?"

"We have someone investigating them already, but they aren't really candidates for what we're on the lookout for."

A short pause.

"Long story short, there was an incident recently involving the conceptual magic of Infinity. The Dragon God wasn't there, but that just raises more questions. He, or she, is supposedly the leader of a terrorist organization," Harry explained.

Magari took all of this in with a neutral expression.

"And you believe you can find more information here, possibly uncover a plot."

Her words were a statement. Her tail waved about idly as its owner stood up.

"Regretfully, I don't have anything that might help you. I doubt you will learn anything from pursuing the applicants either. All of them showed signs of hypnotic suggestion, but there are many who might have perpetrated such a thing. Every year, many Youkai hypnotize other Youkai for fun to get them to join in the Hyakki Yakou."

Harry put his hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"The more I find out about the Night Parade, the more trouble I have believing it was ever actually safe. So many things could go wrong."

"Hence our caution and the increased security. Joining with Yasaka-sama's annual festival was a godsend for us in more ways than one because it gave us a haven in which to practice our own tradition. With the combined forces of both factions of Youkai, we have been able to curtail any such occurrences."

"Let's hope it stays that way then. Thank you, Lady Magari."

Harry stood up as well, pulling Serafall with him despite her protests. Almost all the food on the table was gone. The last of it was piled on a plate in front of the pouting Satan.

"Go on ahead, Sera. I have one last thing I need to do."

His fiancé stopped struggling.

"Oh, is it that time? Have a nice talk! G'bye, Magari-chan! Chu~"

She left after bouncing over to the Nekomata elder to give her a brief hug, the light of teleportation slowly fading away from her hastily-constructed circle. Magari giggled.

"She has still not overcome her fear of spirits?"

"No, she hasn't. Is he in the usual place?"

One wall of the room vanished, revealing a dark hallway. The two of them, Youkai and Wizard, walked down it until they reached a door covered in strips of paper with different kanji written on them in bright red. Magari turned to address her companion.

"He is still serving his sentence."

"Good. Thank you for your help, Lady Magari. I will find my own way out."

The woman nodded before turning around, leaving back down the hallway. Harry wasted no time in walking through the closed door, the physical barrier doing nothing to impede his progress. Inside the room, the spirit of a Devil sat, bound in equally ghostly manacles connected to nothing, their other ends vanishing into opposite walls.

"Master," the Devil said. His tone was resigned.

"Don't call me that."

"Your magic compels me to."

"Then resist it."

"Hmm. No, I don't think I shall. Why are you here this time? Come to try and make me repent once more?" The Devil's sneer changed back into his previous neutral expression in an instant, though it was also tinged with hope. "Or, have you finally decided to release me? I would not particularly mind how you chose to do so. Nothing could hurt much more than my current existence."

"You are incorrect, but it is not my place to decide whether you deserve worse. Actually, I have good news for you. You will indeed be free to pass on soon."

"Truly?"

Harry nodded. He made sure the Devil was looking him in the eyes.

"You are not forgiven, but if you are willing to cooperate, I have something I could use your help with that has the end result of freeing your soul."

"I'll do it!" the Devil shouted. "Whatever it is, I'll do it! Just tell me what to do, Master!"

"Good. Listen carefully."

Silence.

"Obon, the closest equivalent the Japanese have to the festival of the dead, just started. It ends in three days with the Bon Odori, which is a ceremonial dance. During that dance, you will be transported to a special location and set free to do whatever you want. Hell, go on a rampage."

The Devil looked at him in confusion.

"You… want me to attack the Youkai?"

"I want you to attack whoever happens to be nearby. If that includes Youkai, be my guest. But, you won't be free until sunrise the next day. I shouldn't have to tell you what happens if you tell anyone else or refuse to do anything at all."

"Of course," the Devil said quickly. "I will take great pleasure in running wild one last time…"

The Devil paused in slight panic, worried he might have angered the entity in charge of his immortal soul, but when he looked, Harry's expression was unreadable.

"Like I said, you can do whatever you want, as long as you do something and you don't say anything about me. Trust me, I'll know."

"Agreed. I promise I won't fail you, Master. And… thank you."

The Master of Death was already on his way out of the room by the time the Devil finished speaking.

"Don't thank me, Lord Naberius. You're just atoning for your crimes a different way."

The room was plunged into darkness after its visitor left.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"The more people there are involved in making a decision, the more like they will decide something stupid," the Chaos Karma Dragon asserted. "I find his methods agreeable." Across from them, the leader of the werewolf pack they were sent to investigate regarded them both with a bored expression. The man wore a grey jacket with a fur collar over a plain white shirt along with a pair of blue jeans, and had introduced himself as Fenrir. Tiamat had scoffed lightly when she heard his name.

"That's… a rather bleak outlook on general intelligence," Sona commented.

"Do you disagree?" the Dragon retorted.

Sona paused. After careful thought and consideration, she opted to return to examining the man seated across from her. The rest of her Peerage was waiting outside of the large tent the three of them currently occupied, guarded by four enormous men all wearing grey jackets emblazoned with a strange crescent symbol. The man they had spent the past couple of minutes exchanging brief words with had admitted he made the decision to join the Hyakki Yakou on his own. His pack had simply followed him.

"I thought not."

Fenrir sighed, his ash-grey hair swaying in a nonexistent breeze.

"Is that all?" he asked. "We told you why we're here. The Greybacks have nothing else to say."

"Wait," Sona said. "You only told us you wanted to join the Hyakki Yakou, not why."

"It's a prestigious event. I was in the area."

"But you aren't a Youkai," she pressed. "Why would an English werewolf want to join a Japanese parade?"

"Youkai participate in Walpurgisnacht," Fenrir pointed out. Sona noted his pronunciation was perfect. "I thought to return the favor."

"So you just felt like it?" she asked.

The werewolf leader nodded.

"I don't believe you."

"Too bad."

Sona glared at him and received a smirk in response. Tiamat decided to step in, seeing as the conversation was going nowhere and she had a job to do.

"Enough. Boy, you have something of mine. I would have it back."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Fenrir reached into his pocket. "I don't know who you are, but you smell like a Dragon. A strong one." He took his hand out and placed a spherical gem the size of a marble on the table. Tiamat's eyes were drawn to it immediately. Sona made to protest, but was silenced with a dangerous look.

"Yes. That. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am the Chaos Karma Dragon, strongest of the Five Great Dragon Kings, Tiamat," the woman declared proudly. "My treasure was… taken from me and scattered years ago. That is one part of it."

"Don't care," Fenrir said, making her and Sona blink. "You want this? I'll trade you."

"For?"

"Every year, souls manifest here at the end of Obon. Real souls. Take me to whoever's responsible."

Again, Sona was silenced by a look from Tiamat.

"And? Is that all?" she asked curiously.

"That's all. I'll take care of the rest."

"What are you-"

"Deal."

"Tiamat-sama!"

Fenrir smirked.

"On your honor, Dragon."

The gem sailed through the air. Tiamat caught it easily. She spent several seconds examining it for cracks and other damage, before nodding in satisfaction. An application of spatial magic warped her treasure away.

"I will take you to him at sunset in two days, the day before the end of Obon."

"Good. Then get out."

"Wait, we aren't done here!" Sona cried.

"Yes, we are," Tiamat interjected. "We have all the information we need. The Greybacks have nothing to do with what we're investigating."

"How could you know that?"

It was Fenrir himself who answered her question.

"My pack is here because I am. I'm here for one reason, and I know it has nothing to do with you."

Sona turned her confusion towards him. He obliged.

"Everyone's here for the same reason, but everyone's reasons for being here are different. Whoever you're searching for probably has the same reasons as you. Show them out."

The four werewolves who had been guarding the entrance to the tent had stepped in when their leader dismissed his guests. Not wanting to start a confrontation, the Devil heiress reluctantly exited the tent and reunited with her Peerage. She signaled for silence as they were escorted out of the camp. Only when they had walked a good distance away from the edge of the forest did she let her Peerage speak.

"Are you okay Sona-ka… I mean, Sona-san?"

She turned to her Pawn.

"Just 'Sona', Saji. And yes, I am fine, if a little annoyed."

"Ara, 'just Sona' is it now? Your fans will be so disappointed," Tsubaki teased.

Saji spluttered, but his King didn't otherwise react, instead rounding on the Dragon who had remained silent since leaving the tent. The entire group stopped.

"He said we would have 'the same reasons'. Does that mean our enemies are here to scout as well?"

"Oh? Trusting him now, are you?"

Sona's Peerage regarded the two of them in confusion as Sona herself scoffed.

"You know as well as I do that it was an act. Harry already told us he's not under suspicion."

"Hmm. I wonder. Though I agree you are correct in that he is not a part of whatever it is Master seems to think is going on. As for his parting words, that is an apt interpretation."

"Does that mean we should be on the lookout for people who are observing us instead of trying to infiltrate the Youkai?"

They were standing at the outskirts of Kyoto. Tiamat's response was to stare pointedly in the direction of a nearby alley. Sona and her Peerage followed the Dragon's gaze and found a man with long-black hair standing there dressed in a purple and yellow yukata. What instantly set the Devils on edge was the Japanese Holy Sword he carried at his side, one of the three Imperial Regalia of the nation. He put his hands up and walked forward slowly.

"Greetings, Devils," he said once he was within speaking distance. He still stood several meters away, the holy energy he emanated preventing him from coming any closer without adverse effects on the people he addressed. He turned to Tiamat. "And Dragon." She didn't acknowledge his greeting, but he didn't seem offended. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with the werewolves in the nearby forest. I hope you'll forgive me for eavesdropping."

"…Who are you?" Sona asked warily.

"Ah, where are my manners. Normally, I would scold you for asking another's name before introducing yourself, but I here I am, being very impolite as well. I apologize."

The man bowed formally at the waist, though he maintained eye contact with her the entire time. He wore an easy smile.

"My name is Masaomi Yaegaki, former Exorcist. I would be willing to assist you in your endeavors, provided you are willing to assist me in mine."

There was a sharp intake of breath from many of the Devils.

"What does the Fallen Exorcist want from us?" Sona asked.

"You are searching for people. I know where they are and will gladly reveal them to you, along with everything I know about their plans."

"What's the catch?"

Masaomi's smile widened.

"The Master of Death. I would like an introduction."

"Why?"

"I cannot tell you, though I promise I mean no harm."

The two parties regarded each other in silence for a few seconds. The man's smile didn't falter, and he kept his hands raised in the universal sign of non-aggression. Sona considered her options. With Tiamat here, it was highly unlikely he would be able to overpower them, though it was also unlikely they would be able to restrain him. She could try and get the attention of her sister or Harry, or get Tiamat to do it as his familiar, but that still ran the risk of him escaping.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" she called out.

"Ah, good. You are willing to negotiate. Then, a sign of good faith." He lowered one of his hands to the sword at his waist and unfastened its sheath. Moments later, he laid the Kusanagi on the ground and took several steps to the side. "There, I am unarmed. I will submit to whatever restraints you deem necessary." He knelt down and put his hands behind his head.

It was looking more and more like the man was being genuine. Sona turned to Tiamat.

"Can you do something to restrain him? Or contact Harry?"

The Dragon scoffed.

"I can sense his intentions. He is being truthful. Do with that information what you will."

That was enough for Sona. She relaxed slightly.

"Alright. We'll help you. But first-"

A bright flash of light. An explosion of holy energy. Searing pain. Angry male shouting.

"Now now, Mr. Fallen Exorcist. We didn't bring you back to have you give up that easily!"

"Y-you…!"

Sona blinked rapidly to clear the spots in her vision. The man across from her was on all-fours, clutching at his chest, lines of black chains crisscrossing his chest over his clothing. The Holy Sword he had abandoned was nowhere to be seen.

"But, thank you for being such a useful pawn! Not only did you manage to find the target, you got us an actual Dragon as a bonus! I think you deserve a reward!"

The spots were disappearing. The rest of her Peerage was scattered along the street, all unconscious. She could see steam from their wounds due to the holy energy. Her own body was somehow undamaged. She thought she saw a faint outline of blue light covering her before it fizzled away. She looked around for Tiamat and saw her writhing on the ground in pain. The Dragon's pride kept her from giving her opponents the satisfaction of making her scream. On the ground next to her, the Kusanagi, or what had initially appeared as the Holy Sword, lay unsheathed. Its blade was blood-red with black cracks running along it. The katana floated into the air and vanished into a portal of darkness.

"Wha…t?"

Sona looked back to Masaomi. The man's condition had worsened. He was now deathly pale, and the chains had spread to cover his entire body. Another inky-black portal opened beneath him and he began to sink into it.

"N…o… D-Devil…!" he forced the words out even as over half of his body was swallowed. "Poi…son, the… concept!... Seal… undone!" Soon, all that was left of him was his head. He fought to keep his head up as if he were being dragged underwater. "Listen! The dance!... We'll attack during… the dance…!"

He was gone. Sona stood shakily and looked around. It was only then that she noticed her Pawn was missing.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Diehauser Belial stood over a familiar grave. It was the middle of the afternoon. The cemetery was mercifully empty, so nobody else could see his tears. His prayers were disturbed by two spatial disturbances behind him. He had been expecting one, but was not particularly surprised by the other. The man seemed to be everywhere these days.

"Well, Mr. Champion? Have you reconsidered?"

He didn't answer, nor did he turn around.

"You could see her again!" the voice taunted. "Don't you want to make them all pay?"

More silence.

"This may be your last chance. Are you going to waste it feeling sorry for yourself? What would your cousin say?"

"Leave me."

A powerful blast of magic shot from his back, but hit nothing but the distant hill. The voice let out a mocking whistle of appreciation.

"Ahahaha. Very impressive, Mr. Champion! But, it seems you really are the King of Worthlessness. I look forward to the day we meet and I can show you how a true Demon does things! Who knows, maybe your cousin will be able to express her disapproval of you in person! Ahahahahaha-!"

The voice was cut off.

Diehauser sighed.

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it."

The Devil finally turned around to acknowledge his guest. Grey eyes stared into a helmeted visor. He held a hand out, and a gauntleted hand was extended in turn. The two men shook firmly.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Noble Tyrant."

"You as well, Emperor."

"I understand I have you to thank for these?" The unarmored man held out a white and blue Noble Piece. "You have my gratitude. Perhaps, with your improvements, the tragedies of the past will never be repeated."

Lord Orion scoffed and turned aside.

"Your thanks are wasted on me. The partnership between Ajuka Beelzebub and myself was mutually beneficial."

Diehauser nodded and fell silent. Eventually, he spoke again.

"It was you who sent me that letter."

"I have no idea what you are talking about.

"Of course not…" the grey-haired head of the Belial Clan smiled faintly. "Regardless, if you will not admit to it, then I have an offer to make you. No, a gift."

Armor shifted as its wearer turned back to face the other man.

"…Possession of an unmodified King Piece has been designated a criminal offense, Lord Belial."

Diehauser once again had his hand outstretched, this time with his palm facing up. Sitting in it was a red and black Evil Piece in the shape of a King. With the other King Pieces having been confiscated and destroyed or modified long ago by the Four Great Satans and the Devil High Council, the Piece in his hand was the last of its kind.

"Are you going to tell? And besides, I don't need it anymore, so I'm giving it to you."

"You don't know me. Why would you trust me with such a thing?"

The Devil smiled.

"When the changes to the Evil Piece System were first announced, I was skeptical. When the Noble Pieces were introduced, I didn't think they would ever be used by anyone other than the Four Great Satans and maybe a few outliers. Who would give up the chance at more power? Moreover, who would give that power to reincarnated Devils?"

Diehauser set the Piece down on his cousin's gravestone.

"Then came the Tyrant Pieces. Those illusive Pieces only used by you. Rumor has it, if a Noble Piece mutates, it becomes a Tyrant Piece. Of course, since the only person who has ever owned a Mutated Noble Piece won't confirm it, it's only a rumor. But, that's the beauty of it, isn't it?"

He began pacing.

"Rumors are funny things. If you are powerful enough, your Pieces mutate. Nobody questions this. The Satan Beelzebub himself refuses to comment, but also refuses to refute the claim. Since only powerful people own Mutated Pieces, it's become accepted as truth without ever being proven. If a Noble Piece mutates, it reverses its properties. Same thing. Nobody can confirm it, and the only person who can disprove it refuses to do so. Said person happens to be the most powerful Devil in the Underworld: its leader, the Crimson Satan."

He stopped.

"You want to know the most recent rumor? Noble Pieces can mutate after bonding. In fact, if the person they are bonded to becomes powerful enough, the mutation occurs faster."

Harry smiled, though his helmet hid his expression. Diehauser seemed to sense the other man knew something though.

"Now how about that? In order to gain more power for yourself, you must foster power in others. It's pure madness. It's pure genius. And… I think you're to blame."

The armored man said nothing.

"No confirmation, yet no denial. You and the Satan Beelzebub both, you're changing the Underworld. When King Pieces were banned, I wanted to tell the world about what I had learned. I was ready to fight. My Peerage stood with me. But," Diehauser walked until he stood in front of Harry again. "Nobody came to my door. Instead, I got a letter with a single sentence. 'You, who has discovered the truth, use it wisely.' Every other King Piece was taken from its owner. I was even given a master crystal to replace mine."

The grey-haired man turned around and began walking away. A teleportation circle expanded under his feet.

"Whoever sent me that letter told me to use the truth, to use my Piece, how I saw fit. This is my answer, Lord Orion. I suspect you know much better than I do what the Old Satan Faction is up to. I have faith you will have better use for it than me."

Diehauser faced Lord Orion one last time.

"I'll see you in the Rating Tournament, Noble Tyrant. Be sure to give me a challenge."

A flash of light.

Harry stared at the King Piece for a while. He hadn't intended for this to happen. He hadn't lied about the letter; he wasn't its sender. But, only one other person had known about the incident surrounding the King Pieces.

He smirked. That damn Satan. In the end, he had managed to force an Evil Piece upon him after all.

He paused in reaching for the Evil Piece when he felt a disturbance in one of his bonds.

 _Tiamat?_

He was gone in seconds, the King Piece with him.

Long after both men had left, the flickering form of another Devil watched the otherwise empty graveyard with a worried expression. Something was not right. Then, she felt herself pulled somewhere else. Powerless to stop it from happening, Cleria Belial was once again recalled to the world of the living.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serafall slept peacefully, having stuffed herself silly at the earliest opportunity after leaving her fiancé to his business. She was dreaming of good times. Times with her beloved.

 _He hadn't always looked the way he did. His hair used to be slightly shorter._

" _What are you supposed to be, anyway?"_

" _Me? I'm a magical girl, of course!"_

 _Serafall twirled in place and struck a cutesy pose._

" _A 'magical girl'?"_

" _Well, a 'Satan girl' if you wanna be more precise. But none of that matters. Just call me Miracle Levia-tan!"_

" _What the heck do you mean, 'Satan girl'? What even is that?"_

Being a dream, her focus shifted suddenly to a different memory.

 _They made a promise._

" _Serafall, I love you. Will you marry me?"_

"… _Eh?"_

 _The magical girl Satan blinked a few times._

" _I said, 'Serafall, I love you. Will you marry me?' Usually, the answer is yes or no."_

" _Oh."_

 _Her best friend stared at her expectantly._

"… _Yes. Yes! I will!"_

" _Really? Fantastic! We'll invite everyone?"_

" _Uhh. Everyone?"_

" _Of course! Everyone! Our sisters can even be the ring-bearers!"_

She rolled over, and a different memory surfaced.

" _Nice to meet you. I'm Harry Potter."_

" _Nice to meet you, too! I'm Serafall!"_

" _Just Serafall? That… doesn't sound English."_

 _She paused._

" _Uhh. My parents had a weird naming sense?"_

 _She hoped he bought it. Luckily, he was either just that gullible or didn't care._

" _Fair enough. So, what's with the outfit?"_

Her eyebrows scrunched together. Something wasn't quite right here.

" _Will you go out with me, Sera?"_

 _Her heart jumped into her throat when she heard him ask that._

" _You really mean it?"_

 _Harry blinked._

" _Of course I do! I wouldn't ask otherwise. So, will you give me the honor of being my girlfriend, Ms. Sitri?"_

" _YES!"_

 _She tackled him to the ground and the two of them laughed for a long time._

Finally, her dreams settled on a recent memory. She had just gotten it back.

" _I know we can't go back, Sera, but I want to make it up to you."_

" _What are you talking about, Harry-kun?"_

 _Her fiancé took his silver ring off._

" _I want you to have this."_

" _But isn't that…?"_

 _He shook his head._

" _Yes, but that's not why I want you to have it. I want to marry you and make you happy for the rest of your life, Sera. I can't do that if you won't accept this."_

 _She hesitated._

" _Please, Sera. Do it for me."_

 _She put the ring on, and the world faded to black._

Serafall blinked away what she assumed were tears of happiness as she woke up. She couldn't quite remember the end of her last dream, but surely being giving your engagement ring was cause for happy crying, right? She stretched languidly and rubbed her eyes. It was dark out. Had she slept the entire day?

"Good evening, Sera."

She turned her head and beamed when she saw the subject of her most recent dreams. Her smile dimmed when she saw his solemn expression.

"Harry-kun?"

"Sona's been attacked."

Her blood froze. A chilling sensation crept through her as her magical energy began to channel itself according to her will. The room temperature suddenly dropped several degrees, continuing to dip further and further as the Satan's anger built itself up. Ice armor formed on her hands and feet as she stood. Her fiancé stood with her.

"Who do I kill?"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

 **We have a poll up at the top of my profile! Come vote for the next arc!**

No more surprise introductions from here on out, except for a very special set of arc antagonists.

For those who don't know Japanese, the "magical girl"/"Satan girl" joke is a pun. Magical girl is "mahou (magic) shoujo (girl)", where the first word is roughly pronounced "maw hoe". Serafall's variation of it is "Maou (usually translated as Demon King) shoujo", where the first word is pronounced "maw oh", making reference to the fact that she's a Satan.

In the next update, we check in with Koneko! Also, day two of Obon! The action begins!


	22. CP3of7 Ch16 - Guardians

**Chapter 16 – Guardians**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Three of Seven)**

* * *

Koneko forced a smile as countless Youkai walked up to her, bowed, and walked away after saying a few words. Her tail swayed side to side in irritation, fortunately hidden by the voluminous folds of her ultra-formal white and pink kimono, and her cat ears strained to hear the sound of the shrine bell that would signal the end of her duties for the day.

It had been the same yesterday. Wake up, get dressed, let a few of the other Nekomata doll her up, and then sit in a shrine for hours until lunchtime. Her only saving grace was that her outfit was enchanted with a specialized temperature control charm courtesy of her favorite person in the whole wide world. Speaking of, she hadn't seen Harry when she woke up in his bed this morning, and his fiancé was nowhere to be found. Kuroka was particularly distressed at finding her hugging pillow gone without her noticing. Did something happen?

"Thank you for everything, Nekohime-sama."

"Bless you, Nekohime-sama."

"I love you, Nekohime! Please, marry me!"

Laughter spread through the waiting crowd of Youkai as the overzealous man was carted away by a pair of Tengu bodyguards. Several more Tengu stood to either side of her, watchful eyes hidden behind various different masks. Her smile turned genuine when she saw relief headed her way.

The crowd parted as Kunou made her way to the front. When she reached Koneko, the three-tailed fox hugged seated Nekoshou briefly and pet her head. Her head pats were not as good as Harry's. The younger girl then proceeded past her foster sister and rang the shrine bell before turning around to address the rest of the gathered Youkai.

"We apologize for the interruption, but a situation has arisen that requires Nekohime's presence. Rest assured that all of your thoughts go with her and her late sister, the Guardians of Kyoto. Additional visitation will be held tomorrow or later in the festival if you wish to express yourself personally."

There was some light grumbling as the crowd dispersed, but with the help of her the extra Tengu attendants that had accompanied Kunou, the shrine was cleared out within minutes.

Koneko stretched as she stood, being careful not to agitate her clothing too much. She had discovered the hard way that the durability enhancements to her kimono were no match for her Rook-boosted strength. She blamed it on those particular spells not being cast by Harry. After she was finishing working out the kinks in her muscles from sitting still for so long, she waited patiently for Kunou to explain why the service had ended early.

"Kaa-san called for us. Harry-san is back."

Koneko nodded and followed the young Kitsune as she began heading back to Yasaka Shrine. They were no more than fifteen minutes away on foot. Their Tengu guards kept watch diligently from the ground and the air as the two of them traversed through the stall-filled streets of Kyoto. She noted that the streets were empty and the stalls un-manned, even though it was the beginning of the afternoon. Her feeling of unease grew when something brushed along her less human senses.

Next to her, Kunou froze and looked skyward. Koneko did the same, and saw nothing but the empty, clear blue sky. That was when she realized she saw nobody where she should have seen at least a dozen Tengu. Movement behind her caused her to push her sister out of the way, throwing her own body to the ground as well on instinct.

A blast of energy sailed over her head and blew apart a stall.

"Oh? It seems you haven't lost all of your powers just yet. Good! That will make this more entertaining!"

Koneko looked at the source of the annoying voice and saw a Devil she didn't recognize. He was wearing a formal tuxedo, but it had no family crest. The only reason she could tell he was a Devil was the unholy energy in of his core that Harry had taught her how to sense vaguely. The sneering man's hands crackled with power that registered as a mix of both Youjutsu and more traditional elemental magic, which threw her since that particular combination shouldn't have been possible for a Devil to achieve unless he or she was a reincarnated Youkai.

"What, you don't remember me? Hmph. Well, I guess I'll just have to remind you, dear Guardian!"

Another blast of magic. Power coated her own fist as Koneko prepared to punch it back. She was stopped by Kunou interposing herself between them and weaving a translucent shield in the air. The explosion convinced the Rook not to try punching the volatile spell after all.

"Who are you?" the Kitsune demanded. The weird man had said some gibberish at Koneko earlier that she couldn't understand, and her sister had a similar look of confusion. All she got in response was another spell fired at her.

As her sister moved her shield forward to keep the explosion farther away, Koneko darted out from behind her and skirted the edge of the blast zone on her way to apply her favored punching tactics directly to the source. The shield followed her after it blocked the most recent attack from the Devil. Another couple of close calls later, she landed a hit on the man's own hurriedly-constructed shield. She surprised him by quickly sidestepping the floating rectangle of energy and grabbing him, throwing him into a nearby building.

"Tsk."

Lord Naberius was disappointed in himself. Years of isolation had dulled his combat senses, and his reserves were a fraction of what they used to be. On top of that, he was still partially sealed, further limiting his powers. He picked himself up out of the rubble and brushed some stray debris from his hair. At least he was nigh-indestructible in his current form. He loathed the Master with a passion, but he was true to his word. The constant pain of just existing had vanished as soon as he'd been given a true body again. It would be his to keep until his final duty tomorrow if he did his job today.

More magic coalesced into his hands. He had access to only very basic spells that amounted to nothing more than him tossing his energy around in its raw form, but thanks to his soul providing part of it, his blasts were much more potent than they would have been otherwise. He could only imagine what it would have been like to wield this power in life. If only his research had succeeded…

Naberius was taken out of his thoughts by a fist to the gut, followed by several blows to his face, torso, and other upper body areas, as well as his legs. He even felt some slight discomfort when one kick landed where it should have sent him crumpling to the ground. He was then thrown away, into another building. Properly enraged, he let his magic flare around him, blasting the remnants of the unfortunate building away. He channeled as much energy as he could into the shape of a spear, the favored shape for many Devils and other magic users who wanted to throw something made of magic and have the satisfaction of seeing it impale something else, and sent it at his killer's sister.

Koneko's eyes widened as she saw the combination Youjutsu-Demon spear shooting at her. No number of Kunou's shields would have blocked it even if she had been able to make it in time. She dove for cover, not that it helped her much. The spear detonated with all the force expected of a spear made of spiritual energy drawn directly from the soul, tossing her away like a ragdoll.

"Shiro-nee!"

Kunou wasn't given much time to worry about the state of her sister as another spear flew at her. Unlike Koneko, her own mastery of Youjutsu was far more advanced, especially for someone of her relative age. Her three tails waved about as she called forth her own unique powers as a Kitsune. Ghostly blue fire blazed into life on her fingertips, which she sent at the oncoming attack. Despite how frail they seemed, as soon as embers made contact with the spear, the entire construct caught on fire as her magic burned the spiritual energy away, leaving only the unholy energy. The much weaker spear shattered on the shield Kunou had maintained since the start of the fight. She couldn't see Koneko anywhere. A moment later, she spotted her fellow Youkai charging at the male Devil from the side with murder in her eyes.

Her thoughts were a mess, and her side hurt. Her split tail was also a little burnt. Somehow, that was more insulting than every other injury she'd been dealt. The man she was bearing down on regarded her with disdain. Koneko was determined to wipe that sneer off his face. Physical damage didn't seem to affect him at all. When she had been pummeling him earlier, she noticed that none of her attacks left any marks, not even on his clothing. Her kick to the spot every male should have had as a guaranteed weak spot warranted no more than a slight wince. The Rook in her was further insulted.

She was no Youjutsu master like the rest of her family, but she still knew how to attack with it as part of her normal arsenal of punches and kicks. Gathering energy into her limbs, Koneko ducked a point-blank blast of energy, paying no mind to the explosion that occurred right behind her, and instead used it to enhance the force behind her flying knee. To her immense satisfaction, it connected with the Devil's face and threw his head backwards, along with the rest of his body. She also finally felt something give slightly.

The man didn't look any different when he staggered to his feet, but his unsteady swaying and unfocused eyes told her the attack had been effective.

Inwardly, Naberius cursed. Of course the damn Youkai could still hurt him, even if he wasn't physically injured. Damage on a spiritual level applied to his soul. Never mind that his soul was invincible as long as it remained sealed; Youjutsu and Senjutsu could potentially cause the destruction of his bond with his current body. If he left the body behind, he was almost sure his benefactor would not be pleased. He also wouldn't get another one.

He couldn't afford to be careless. The next time the petite Nekoshou charged at him, she was sent over his head with an application of flight magic. It wasn't something he was experienced with using on others, but she was close enough that he wouldn't miss if he widened the area of effect. He ducked the kick she lashed out with as she passed over him uncontrollably. Fucking cat reflexes.

The Devil panicked when he saw the ghostly blue fire from the corner of his eye. Forget the soul bond, if he let fox fire of all things latch on to him, it would hurt as much as not having a body at all!

Kunou frowned as she saw her target throw blast after blast of pure Youjutsu at her flames to put them out. Her frown deepened as she examined his techniques more closely. Rather than true Youjutsu, it actually seemed as if he were throwing bits and pieces of his soul around. Pure spiritual energy, or chakra. Normally, this would be a valid tactic as the soul naturally regenerated its energy and you could feasibly, in an emergency, literally chop a small bit off and use it to fuel a particularly powerful spell without any major repercussions. But, his soul didn't seem to be doing that. In fact, she couldn't see his soul in his body at all. Also, with the amount of it he seemed to toss around haphazardly, he should have long run out of non-essential parts.

Her sister announced her return to the fight by cratering the ground at the Devil's feet. He rose into the air to avoid it, but was taken off-guard when a chunk of the building he was standing in was thrown at him. To the amazement of both the girls, he caught the debris in both hands and actually tossed it back. What followed was a demented game of a cross between catch and dodge ball as the two of them, Nekoshou and Devil, threw chunks of the environment and surrounding buildings at each other. Kunou paled at the unnecessary property damage.

"Hey! Stop destroying my city!"

They paused. Koneko stared at her flatly, while the Devil had a look on his face as if to ask, "Really? You're only _now_ worrying about that?" While he was still distracted, his opponent chucked a tree at him. Kunou watched incredulously, wondering where she had gotten it from. They were in the middle of the city! Her shock was shared by Lord Naberius, who was surprised long enough at the sight of a tree sailing through the air to be hit with it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Was this really necessary, Harry-san?"

From their vantage point floating above Yasaka Shrine, Harry and the shrine's owner observed as the shopping district which had recently been slated for renovations was torn apart and used as ammunition. They were both dressed in casual yutaka and sitting cross-legged in midair as if there were an invisible platform underneath them.

"You said that district was going to be rebuilt anyway, right?"

"We did, but We did not intend for it to be destroyed in such a manner first."

The teasing in her voice was more subdued than usual. Harry waved her complaint off.

"You would have had to tear it down either way."

"A construction crew would not have endangered our daughters."

The Wizard was unaffected by the slight accusatory tone the statement had been delivered with.

"Your daughters are in danger regardless. This just ensures they're more prepared to face it."

Yasaka frowned.

"We know, but We cannot help but wonder if there were better ways."

"'Better' is subjective, Yasaka. Safer? Most definitely. More effective? Eh, possibly. But faster? Probably not, at least not without serious consequences. And time is of the essence." Harry idly conjured a second tree to see if either of the girls would notice another one popping into existence. To his disappointment and amusement, they did not.

"Methinks they need more spatial awareness," he commented. In hindsight, that had been irresponsible of him. What if they realized he was somehow involved? On the other hand, watching them fight was rather boring since he was controlling what their opponent was allowed to do, so he could hardly be blamed for having a little fun with it. Right? Right. He looked back to his fellow observer and found her wearing a flat expression. Oh yeah, he wasn't the only one around who could read souls in Kyoto.

"Indeed you are not, Harry-san." Yasaka sighed. "If not for your openness with your thoughts and intentions, and our own trust in you, We would not have allowed this to occur. As it is, We are highly skeptical of whether this will truly achieve all that you believe it will."

"It will. It has to."

Harry rose to his feet, a strange sight since he was still suspended in midair. A wave of his hands revealed a long, glowing line stretching around the entire district the fight took place in, encompassing some of the neighboring streets just in case. Out of nowhere, his cloak shimmered into existence, having magically expanded itself to cover the two of them.

"The illusion won't hold for much longer. The spatial barrier is set to collapse any moment."

As he spoke, a previously invisible layer of energy gained a few cracks in it. The Tengu who attacked it were revealed as the spell designed to imprison them lost some of its power. Emboldened by their success, they redoubled their efforts to reach the girls below them. Yasaka glanced at them with disapproval.

"We shall have the Head Guard train his men more thoroughly," she said. "You did not restrain their actions within their seals. They should have made much more progress by now."

Harry nodded his agreement. He hadn't made the spells _that_ strong. He then projected a thought to the Devil who was under siege from walls of blue fire. Naberius perked up when he was told all of his powers would be momentarily restored to him. At the same time, his enthusiasm was dampened by the fact that his time was almost up. He was told he had a message to deliver before he left.

Initially, Harry wasn't intending on letting Lord Naberius say anything at all. After discussing it further with Magari, the Wizard was convinced to let the man speak to at least his main targets, so he had cast a spell to obfuscate his words, and applied the counter spell to himself, Serafall, and the two Nekoshou who had taken to sleeping with them.

"You know the signal, Yasaka."

"We do. You will be lying in wait?"

"Of course," Harry replied. "But hopefully, I can remain hidden a while longer." He wrapped his cloak around him and vanished from all senses, both physical and otherwise. "Good luck," his voice echoed from everywhere at once.

Yasaka sniffed.

"We do not need luck, Harry-san."

Ghostly blue fire roared to life at her mental command, the ends of her tails becoming like miniature torches. Two more fireballs materialized at her shoulders as she stood. Her presence no longer concealed by the magic of the Deathly Hallows, every being in Kyoto suddenly felt a stifling pressure descend on them. Fortunately, it was gone the next instant as Yasaka reined her power back in. She had only let it run wild as a warning, after all. If anyone chose to ignore that warning, the consequences would be their own fault.

She waited patiently.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Koneko and Kunou saw the Devil stumble when the wave of power washed over him. Having experienced the sensation enough to build up something of an immunity to its effects, the two Youkai girls wasted no time in exploiting his distraction. The Nekoshou abandoned her latest piece of ammunition and closed the gap, while the Kitsune repurposed the remnants of her flames littering the battlefield and the airspace above it to make one last wall behind the man.

Naberius recovered his bearings in time to realize the danger he was in with an angry white-haired girl literally flying at him from the front and soul-searing fire at his back. He breathed a short sigh of relief when he reached internally for his magic and found it restored. In fact, it might have been boosted beyond what he had wielded in life. His mood soured when he remembered he still had orders to follow. No matter, Master had promised him the same access to his powers during whatever event was supposed to take place tomorrow.

Koneko's shock at having her punch and subsequent kick caught left her wide open for a direct blast to the stomach. Her Rook constitution mitigated the damage, but she was still too surprised to land properly, tumbling along the ground until she came to stop next to her fellow Youkai. Kunou was similarly startled when her fox fire was extinguished by a nonchalant wave of the Devil's hand.

"Hmph. Pathetic."

Both of the girls narrowed their eyes. Kunou didn't know what he had said, but the dismissal in his tone was obvious. The male Devil disregarded her entirely and only addressed Koneko, further angering the Kitsune.

"You. Youkai Devil. I will have my revenge on you and every member of your race." Naberius mulled over his next words. He didn't quite know what they were referring to, but orders were orders. "Poison and Sin will claim all of Kyoto in due time." He set off a black-and-green explosion of smoke above himself in the shape of a skull. It was purely aesthetic, but even he could admit it gave a certain feeling of dread.

A spatial distortion formed in between the Devil and the two Youkai. Naberius had all of a split second to backpedal away from the exponentially more powerful flare of fox fire that threatened to incinerate his spirit whole, fake body or not.

"We do not appreciate the likes of you threatening our kin, or the city We rule. You have one chance to plead your case." Yasaka punctuated her statement by bringing her tails forward, the fireballs on their tips becoming brighter as she did so.

Naberius scowled. The Youkai leader was no doubt added insurance. He had overstayed his welcome. As he was about to leave, he became aware of another spatial distortion behind him. Before the Devil could turn around, he felt the muted sensation of something sliding through his chest. He looked down to see a black and red blade protruding from the center of his torso. Then, the pain started.

Yasaka stepped protectively in front of her two exhausted daughters. The new presence was wrong. It felt like an amalgamation of different beings. Its soul revealed nothing but the monstrous nature of its existence. The man standing over the fallen Devil was definitely not what he appeared to be.

"You'll thank me later," Masaomi Yaegaki said, the words coming unbidden to his lips. He wore a purple hakama, but nothing else. His exposed chest was bare except for a small bundle of black chains that would have looked like they were tattooed on if not for the fact that they were constantly shifting around. The bundle pulsed in time with his heartbeats.

All of the Youkai present recognized the blood-red sword in his hands.

"That's…!"

The point of the katana collided with a barrier. Yasaka's eyes widened as it began to pierce through. Without hesitation, she drew on the ley lines. Masaomi disengaged when the ground underneath him erupted with bright blue fire that rose until it towered over the remaining buildings that were still standing.

Lord Naberius rose to his feet shakily, his hands feeling his chest for the wound that should have been there. Finding nothing but a tear in his clothing, the Devil ripped his shirt open to reveal the same bundle of chains pulsating on his own chest. He barked out a laugh, followed by a series of self-deprecating chuckles.

"Well, it seems I am no longer bound to hold back," he said, seemingly pleased. He made to leave, but was stopped by the blade of Kusanagi at his neck.

"We retreat together," Masaomi said simply. His face betrayed nothing, and his tone was dead even, promising violence if the other man did not comply. A large portal opened next to them, filled with darkness obscuring the other end.

"Hmph. Fine. I suppose I ought to thank whoever is responsible for my new state of servitude, since it is obviously isn't you." The Devil took a step back and turned to face the portal. "Such a sad state of affairs, two puppets trying to pull each other's strings." A twitch of the blade persuaded him to walk into it. The enslaved man looked at the towering wall of blue one last time before he followed.

Once they were gone, Yasaka let the flames die out. Moments later, scores of Tengu and other Youkai arrived on scene. She could already feel the headache building. Deciding to alleviate some of her stress preemptively, the fox Youkai faced her Head Tengu with a chilling smile. To his credit, the other Youkai didn't flinch away.

"We believe you may be interested in further training for the men under your command, Captain. After all, if We had not been here, who knows what might have happened to the two Princesses of Kyoto?"

"Hai, Yasaka-sama! For this failure, I will train with them until our bodies break!"

Behind him, all of the other Tengu suppressed a collective shudder.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Naberius came face-to-face with a giant serpent as he stepped out of the portal. Said serpent had eight heads, pure white scales tinged with red, and was roughly the size of his castle back in the Underworld. He wasn't too familiar with Japanese mythology or the world's many Dragons, having been much more involved with research into the spiritual energy used by Youkai in their races' unique spells, but even he, as a Lord of Hell, was informed of the Evil Dragons. Naberius supposed this partially explained the appearance of the Kusanagi. Strangely enough, the eight-headed Dragon did not move or acknowledge his arrival.

The Devil heard someone else step out of the portal behind him. He turned around in time to see the portal close as the bare-chested man emerged from it. He stared at the man expectantly.

"Who are you?"

"Irrelevant. We are temporary allies," the man answered. "You will assist us in our invasion tomorrow, and if you survive, you will be freed. Until then, you will wait here."

Naberius was unsatisfied.

"What you want me to do? Just attack everything in sight?" If so, he would gladly oblige.

"You will lead a contingent of forces to attack from the south."

"A contingent?"

The sounds of armor shifting brought the Devil's attention back to the Evil Dragon. It was then that he noticed they were not alone. He had been too focused on the Dragon's heads to notice the many armored figures standing at attention in neatly-ordered rows and columns. If they weren't standing in some isolated part of the Dimensional Gap, judging by the multi-colored sky, he would have mistaken them for statues with how still they were. The only one of them not completely covered in armor, a young boy with dirty-blond hair from the looks of it, was the one who had made the noise by stepping forward.

"And who is this?"

"Your second-in-command."

Naberius noticed the dead look in his eyes.

"Do none of you speak?"

"If you do not learn to hold your tongue, you will not either."

He bit back his retort. Instead, he returned to examining the armor the other people wore. It was dark purple with black accents, and looked to be the sort of heavy plate mail armored cavalry or paladins of old might wear. The helmet did not seem to have holes for ventilation or to see out of, so Naberius assumed they functioned like visors. There were also breathing enchantments available for headwear such as full-helms or even things like scuba diving gear, though the former had fallen out of use in more recent years. Each suit of armor had a single spherical gem embedded in the center of its chest plate.

"What can they do?" the Devil asked. "If you expect me to lead an effective force, I need to know what my subordinates are capable of."

"You do not. Your job is only to attack. Success is not required. You are expected to fail and die."

Naberius scoffed lightly.

"I have no intention of dying. Once was more than enough for me, thank you. If you have nothing else of value to say to me, then I will relax elsewhere until I am needed."

His way was barred by Kusanagi again.

"You will remain here."

He faced the other man with a sneer.

"You cannot keep me here."

Masaomi reached out with the hand that wasn't holding his katana and clenched his fist. He was confused when his target did not react. Immediately, he went on full alert and tried to cut the Devil down. He was blown away by two consecutive magical explosions, with spears of unholy energy impaling his left lung and right shoulder.

"Y-you…"

Naberius hurriedly took to the air as the half-armored boy shot two tongue-like appendages at him from his gauntlets. When they turned to follow him, he incinerated them and tossed another spear tinged with spiritual energy at the boy, forcing him to move and abandon the chase. The other armored figures lifted off the ground as well.

The Fallen Exorcists hopes of being freed from his current state were dashed as his body absorbed the spears impaling him. The wounds healed over in seconds. He knew the katana in his hands was somehow to blame, but for the life of him he could not figure out how.

 _That boy is important,_ Naberius deduced. Yamata no Orochi, the Venom Blood Dragon, had been about to attack him, but stopped when the Devil had maneuvered himself to the other side of the mind-controlled boy. He had repeated the tactic twice more and got the same results. Every time the boy was in between him and the Evil Dragon, said Dragon halted its attack and repositioned itself, crushing some its compatriots in the process.

 _Well, Master did tell me to go wild…_

Naberius summoned as much energy as he possibly could, taking a significant portion of his available reserves, but still not enough to empty them past half. The energy coalesced into a gigantic sphere beneath him, drawing his armored opponents in if they got too close. He then sent it plummeting towards the barren ground below. Upon contact, it imploded, taking at least twenty or thirty figures in armor with it. Moments later, space distorted as a singularity formed and drew in even more people. An application of spiritual energy ensured the miniature black hole would persist for at least a minute, giving Naberius, who was immune to its gravitational pull, a temporary respite.

He saw the boy, who had miraculously escaped his earlier attack, move out of the way of the giant Dragon behind him.

 _FFF-_

Yamata no Orochi wasted no time in breathing gouts of fire from all eight of its heads, scorching the ground and any of its allies in the way. Naberius panicked as he frantically thought of a way to escape his predicament.

A snap of the fingers sounded out from somewhere.

"Celsius Cross Trigger."

The world was dyed white in an instant. Masaomi, who had been in the process of sneaking up on the Devil, barely had enough time to turn the blade of Kusanagi downwards and plunge it into the ground to summon a protective barrier. It was several seconds of agonizing cold before the wave of magic subsided. He stood slowly and surveyed the destruction. Every single suit of armor in sight was frozen solid. The sound of shattering ice brought his attention to the eight-headed Dragon who had also been flash-frozen, but was too powerful to be contained by such a method.

The Dragon roared in fury and tried to breath fire again. Masaomi saw its target, a female dressed in… was that a magical girl outfit? The girl, or possibly woman judging by her other features, pointed a comical-looking staff with a star the end at the oncoming fire and a magic circle appeared to block it. The circle became a disk of opaque ice that expanded until it covered her from view. It then shattered into dozens of sharp icicles that shot at the Evil Dragon, piercing it in multiple places. The woman was nowhere to be seen. Yamata no Orochi rocked forwards as something struck it from behind.

"And where are you looking, puppet?"

His katana moved of its own accord to slash apart the spear that threatened to impale him through the heart. Masaomi turned and saw Naberius, no worse for wear, already holding another spear. He parried the thrust and made to counterattack, but was taken off-guard by an explosion at his feet. He felt something pierce his stomach, but his body ignored the sensation and struck out with the Kusanagi. His blind strike was apparently enough to make his opponent back off temporarily.

Masaomi watched the spear in his stomach do the same thing as the first two did. His sword kept him alive and healthy. He looked at the Devil across from him, whose shirt was unbuttoned to show an unmarked chest.

"How are you free?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

His face remained neutral, but inwardly Masaomi grinned at the Devil's cheekiness. Good. Less information for him to deliver to his own master. His body refused to cooperate with him as he attacked again. He was repelled by an unknown pulse of energy, before being drawn in against his will. He recognized the effects of gravitational manipulation too late to block the spear that impaled him through the right shoulder again. The Devil seemed to be aiming for the bundle of chains on his chest. His suspicions were proven as his opponent tried to make another stab for the same spot, but missed when Masaomi leapt backwards. The spear he had been impaled with was already gone.

"Faster and faster each time," Naberius noted irritably. He spared a glance at the other fight. The Satan Leviathan was doing much better against Yamata no Orochi than he would have been able to. The Dragon had not yet landed a single hit, while it had taken several wounds along the length of its body. He only wished his temporary ally would cast that initial spell one more time. It would make his own objective that much easier.

Somehow, Master was either here, or he was able to see things through Naberius' eyes. The man had ordered him to channel his spiritual energy into an attack and land it on the conveniently-placed target on his opponent's chest, promising to restore his body if he succeeded and was killed in during the process. Naberius was becoming more and more certain this would be the case, as he had long ago realized he had no way of actually escaping the Dimensional Gap even if he somehow achieved victory.

As if the world were listening to his inner thoughts (he wouldn't put it past Master), his female ally paused briefly in her assault on the Evil Dragon and cast a spell in his direction.

Masaomi found himself in the unpleasant situation of being magically flash-frozen. Try as he might, his body was unable to break the ice with any degree of speed. If he could, he would have sighed in relief. He watched as the other Devil approached warily, magic spear in hand. Masaomi was alarmed when the curse in his sword began working on the ice. It was now fragile enough for him to break, but his body kept still. He pounced once the other man was close enough, but Naberius was ready. Instead of avoiding the attack, he threw himself onto the Kusanagi. The spear in his hands was driven through Masaomi's chest right over his heart.

"Mission… accomplished…" the Devil choked out. "Now, puppet… your strings belong to someone else." Seconds later, he collapsed to the ground unmoving.

Receiving the silent signal from Harry, Serafall disengaged from her own fight. She flew over to the frozen figure of Saji, which she had been keeping track of carefully to avoid having her opponent crush him. The Dragon breathed fire at her, but she stared at it coldly.

"I'm tired of playing around with you."

Another copy of her appeared in front of her, freezing the flames themselves. The ice spread along the length of the jets until it reached the Dragon's heads, at which point it froze them as well. Soon, the entire Dragon was once again frozen in place. The original Serafall disappeared with a small _crack_ , taking Saji with her. Another _crack_ followed, echoing through the empty sky.

"You like fire so much? Fine."

Serafall's form wavered as she lost control over her Time-Turner slightly. Magical energy was released from her body until it covered her like a second skin. She floated until she was staring Yamata no Orochi in one of its eight pairs of eyes. Even from his position over a hundred meters away, Masaomi heard her.

"Here's a message for you and your master: _don't mess with my family_."

She raised a single finger.

"Fahrenheit Cross Trigger."

And then, the world was bathed in white once more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Masaomi watched dispassionately as Naberius' body dissolved into motes of light. The Fallen Exorcist sheathed the cursed Kusanagi at his waist and examined the rest of the pocket dimension. Everything was scorched black. If he had not been protected by his sword, Masaomi was sure he would have been caught in the spell, a powerless sculpture like most of his "allies". Not that they were much of anything now, being melted piles of steel. He didn't even have enough control over himself to scoff at that thought.

He had spent an inordinately large amount of the time when he was conscious learning as much as he could about the conditions of his imprisonment within his own body. His soul was bound by some mysterious magic that compelled him to do the bidding of that snake. Masaomi discovered that his body moved even when he was not awake to move it, proven by him "waking up" in the middle of conversing with a subordinate. He had no control over any of his actions, only able to direct minuscule changes in his magical energy, too small to effect the most basic of spells.

In the span of less than twenty-four hours, everything had gone wrong. Masaomi thought back to his resurrection about a year ago. He knew his memory had been magically-altered since he couldn't remember who had brought him back to life nor could he recall how they had accomplished it. All he knew was that he had been gifted the Kusanagi, a Holy Sword and one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan, and told to pursue his goal of revenge. In all likelihood, that was a suggestion that had been implanted in him as well. Masaomi wasn't even aware of who he was looking for. His reasons for being in Kyoto were a mystery to him.

He had spent the better part of a week wandering the streets aimlessly, until he was suddenly seized by the urge to investigate a nearby forest. When he heard about someone with the ability to manifest souls, he made the connection with the Japanese festival of the dead. His educated guess was proven right by the reactions of the Devils and the Dragon he had confronted. The Fallen Exorcist was not sure why the Master of Death would so frivolously demonstrate his powers, but he did not particularly care. Whoever it was would know how he had been brought back to life. He, or she, would definitely be able to replicate the feat for his love.

Masaomi never thought to ask his original benefactors. They had never contacted him again after they gave him the Kusanagi, and he had no way of finding them without even a physical description. So it was that he had pinned his hopes on the entity known for defying his namesake and inexplicably bringing people back to life. His plans had been ruined by the supposedly Holy Sword being cursed.

He didn't know what curse possessed the sword, but it was assuredly a potent one to affect the Dragon that had been stabbed with it so. He was tempted to test it on himself, to see if it would free him from his bonds through death, but was of course unable to. The point was now moot since he had seen it used to enslave yet another. But, there was hope. The process had not taken. Moreover, the Devil had clearly stated that Masaomi now served someone else. He had no more control over himself than before, but he assumed this was done on purpose to sell the illusion that he was still bound by the chains around his soul.

Yamata no Orochi hissed at him pitifully. The Dragon was little more than a melted pile.

Masaomi had no idea what it was saying, but his body reacted nonetheless. He spent a few seconds wondering what was happening until he plunged the Kusanagi into the snake-like body of the Venom Blood Dragon. He watched grimly as all of the Dragon's wounds healed, leaving its body as good as new. Oddly enough, the incredibly slow process was some sort of cross between extremely painful and absolutely euphoric. The Dragon writhed in pain half the time, but also had its eyes rolled into the back of its head and was completely relaxed the other half. Whatever fuelled the curse in his blade must have had some sort of healing properties, though Masaomi would not have been surprised if it came with horrible consequences. He supposed he should be thankful said consequences didn't apply to him. Or at least, they hadn't yet.

"Well?"

The man's surprise was naturally hidden by the unchanging expression on his face as he turned to face what was hopefully his former master.

"They suspect nothing." For once, Masaomi was glad of his inability to express himself. The words were different than what he had expected. Surely, the ridiculously powerful female Devil had some idea of what was going on. She had recognized the armor worn by their homunculus soldiers and also made reference to the fact that Yamata no Orochi served someone else. It was unfortunate that she had taken the mind-controlled boy he abducted yesterday, but he had hope that if whoever was helping her could free his soul, he or she could do the same to the boy's.

"Good, good. Await further orders. Soon, very soon, He will rue the day He condemned me."

Masaomi did not answer.

The deranged laughter of the blindfolded Fallen Angel with the lower body of an Asian Dragon echoed throughout the empty space as more and more armored homunculi began emerging from the portals he created.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kuroka looked up in surprise as the door to her private room opened. Instead of Yasaka or her sister Nekoshou, Harry Potter stepped through. He took a moment to examine the barren room, furnished only with the bare necessities.

"Cozy place you've got here, Kuroka."

"Harry? Did Shiro-chan or Yasaka-chan let you in?"

Her room was located deep underground, beneath Yasaka Shrine. It was not connected to any other passageways, and things like oxygen, electricity, and plumbing were taken care of via a complex system of spells cast years ago to help hide her continued existence. Only the two people who knew she was here could let her in or out of the room. Not even she could open the door.

The room was enchanted to forcibly eject her if any problems arose with the magic sustaining it, but with Senjutsu, she would be able to survive near indefinitely if she had to. Yasaka had given her emergency access to the ley lines if and only if she was in the room just in case she was somehow trapped inside. She would also be able to leave if either of the people with access died, but she refused to consider that scenario.

"Yasaka gave me permanent access, not that it means much now. Tomorrow's the day you go free."

The Nekoshou did a double take.

"What are you talking about? I'm dead," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Not quite," Harry said. "Your soul lingers around Kyoto, fulfilling your duty as its Guardian and watching over your sister even in death. Every year, she visits your grave and thanks you for your sacrifice, and the two of you converse for one hour, often longer."

Kuroka blinked.

"That's the story you've been feeding them?"

"It gets better. The tragic accident that traumatized Nekohime-sama…"

Here Kuroka giggled at the nickname her sister had been given. She thought it suited her well and she knew the other Nekoshou found it endearing even if she pretended it annoyed her.

"Ahem. The tragic accident that traumatized Nekohime-sama and caused her to lose her powers was not the cause of her body's transformation."

"Eh?"

"Rather, every year, when she converses with her dear sister at her grave, she donates as much of her spiritual energy as she can to the land. Unbeknownst to her or anyone else, her sister has been gathering that energy."

"That's not how energy works."

Harry continued to ignore her.

"This year, her sister will have gained enough power to manifest her physical form during the closing ceremony of Obon, the Bon Odori. At that time, she will petition Yasaka-sama, the leader of the Japanese Youkai and sole overseer of Kyoto, for aid. 'Please, Yasaka-sama, lend me your ear!'"

"I'm not saying that."

"Improvise," Harry said simply, abandoning his storytelling. It lost most of its allure when he realized he couldn't properly mimic Kuroka or Yasaka's voices. "Anyway, you'll ask Yasaka for help, and she will use the power of the ley lines to essentially resurrect you."

"That's not how ley lines work, either."

"Y'know, you're awfully picky about coming back to life."

Kuroka's brain rebooted.

"Oh. Right. Wait, how is this going to work?"

"Spiritual energy, or chakra, goes by another name. 'Life energy'. It's also been called 'soul energy' before, but that's not really important. If you can use it to sustain your soul for years, you can also feasibly use it to bring yourself back to life. That's the story, anyway."

Harry smiled wryly.

"Besides, you haven't been as careful as you should have. Several Youkai have reported sighting you around town."

Kuroka actually blushed at this.

"Ehehehe. Whoops?"

"Fortunately, it works in your favor since the sightings were sporadic. If your soul's been lingering around, slowly gathering energy, why wouldn't you appear every now and then? It fits nicely. We'll spin it into the narrative. Most of the Youkai will be too happy to ask questions, especially the Nekomata. They'll silence anyone who questions things to closely."

As Harry continued to speak, her expression slowly morphed from skepticism and into one of naked hope.

"If anyone asks anyway, Yasaka and Magari will confirm anything we come up with, and everyone else involved, including the Four Great Satans, will deny any knowledge. You were never charged with a crime since Sirzechs summarily dismissed the case once the investigation into Lord Naberius was complete. So, come this time tomorrow, you'll be a free and alive woman. Err, cat. Woman."

"Are… are you being serious?"

Harry paused when he heard the woman's voice. He looked at her and saw she was on the verge of tears. Sighing, he walked over to where she was seated and sat next to her, wrapping her in a comforting side-hug.

"Yes, Kuroka. I'm serious. It's been several years now. Plenty of time for wounds to heal and people to forget. Your sister wants you back."

The Nekoshou sniffed, holding back tears.

"There's just one little thing that has to happen first."

Kuroka wiped at her eyes. Soon, her teasing smile was back.

"Are you gonna give me kittens?"

Harry immediately began spluttering. His attempt to stand was thwarted by Kuroka draping herself over him. She rubbed at him like an extremely over-affectionate cat, and Harry couldn't help but compare her to one of those tame jungle cats he'd seen on a television show once. She was certainly doing a good job of making him feel like a piece of meat.

"N-no. Stop that."

"Nyahaha, you're so easy to tease, Harry-kun!"

The Wizard cleared his throat pointedly and took a deep breath to calm down. Kuroka didn't move from her spot pressed against his back. She was surprised when Harry stood up in spite of her presence and instinctively clenched her legs around his midsection. He put both hands under her thighs and began carrying her piggyback towards the door.

"No. Not that. Your sister needs you more than you know."

Kuroka rubbed her cheek against Harry's as she rested her head on his shoulder. She decided she liked being carried like this by him. Maybe she would tackle-hug him from behind more often? She was brought out of her thoughts when the man's statement registered in her mind. The two of them arrived at what Kuroka recognized as her personal training space.

"Oh? Are we gonna spar?"

"We're going to fight, Kuroka. Be serious."

Harry let her down at one end. When she refused to let go of him, he rolled his eyes and teleported himself to the other. He heard a small cry of "Nya!" behind him, along with a quiet thud. He turned around and saw Kuroka crouched on all fours seductively, her low-riding kimono hanging downwards to reveal her assets. He turned away.

A moment later, he was punched into the wall.

"Okay. Ow."

Harry shook his head in a daze as he looked back at where he was standing a second ago. Kuroka stood there with a determined look on her face, though it was slightly ruined by the teasing smile she also wore.

"I'm not that stupid, Harry-kun. If Shiro-chan needs me, I'll prove that I'm good enough to help her with anything. And I'll use everything I have to do so."

Harry smiled and teleported himself back into the rectangular arena. Then, he blushed furiously as Kuroka stripped off all of her clothing.

"Kuroka!"

"Nya? What the matter, Harry-kun? Getting a little flustered? You can look all you want, you know!"

He ducked as Kuroka teleported herself across the room and tried to roundhouse kick him in the head. He was distracted by what he saw as her leg passed by his face, but he still reacted fast enough to cast a blasting curse. The explosion flung her away, but she landed on her feet easily. With his mage sight, Harry could see the energy coating her grow ever stronger.

The Nekoshou split into three. On either side of him, Harry saw both naked Kurokas launch separate blasts of Youjutsu at him, while the center one chanted too quickly for him to make out her words. The effects however, were evident as spirit chains locked his legs and the rest of his lower body into place.

Rather than apparate away and risk being punched wherever he appeared, the Wizard took control of the chains and teleported them instead, binding the Kuroka directly in front of him, who he could tell was the real one. Her Youjutsu missed as the unbound man charged forwards. The two clones interposed themselves between him and his target, but he switched places with one and backhanded the other into the wall, dispelling it. A backwards-cast spell took care of the one he had swapped with, and another blasting curse broke apart on Kuroka's spell barrier.

"Master, that's cheating!"

"Are you still on with that? And don't call me 'Master'!"

Harry looked at her flatly when she began striking a seductive pose, and was clocked over the back of the head by another clone he hadn't noticed. Growling irritably, he grabbed the other Kuroka's outstretched limb and tossed her at the real one. To his frustration, she helped her clone land on her feet. Their combined teasing and triumphant looks were wiped off their faces and replaced with disbelief when Harry duplicated himself as well.

"Okay, now _that's_ cheating."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

When both Harrys pulled out identical swords from thin air, Kuroka and her copy gulped. They shared a look, each thinking the same thing. Deciding it was totally worth it no matter what happened, they both shouted in unison:

"Foursome!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Ow ow ow ow ow…"

Kuroka rubbed gingerly at a few bruises that were still healing. Seconds later, they were gone too, leaving her nude body completely free of injury. When she noticed Harry sneaking a peek at her, she crossed her arms underneath her bust and smiled suggestively. She giggled as he turned away again.

"Senjutsu really is amazing," Harry commented while staring at the wall. "I wonder how long it would take for me to learn it." His curiosity was genuine, though the topic was also meant as a way to distract his mind from other thoughts.

"Yer outta luck, Harry-kun. Youjutsu and Senjutsu are the realm of the Youkai!" the Nekoshou declared proudly. She teleported herself onto the Wizard's back and hugged him tightly, for once not rubbing against him or doing anything overtly sexual. She figured since she wasn't wearing anything, her body did all the work for her. And plus, she was still kind of sore.

"The realm of the Youkai, huh? I bet Yasaka would teach me if I begged her to…"

"Ehhh. She'll tell you the same thing. You just can't use chakra the way we do if you aren't one of us. But, I'd be willing to try! Did you know one of the best ways to learn Senjutsu involves sex?"

Harry's deadpan didn't deter her.

"I'm not even kidding! You can even ask Magari-chan! The medical applications of Senjutsu are best practiced through sex, too!"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Oh, don't be like that, Harry-kun. Think about it, you could be the first human to learn Senjutsu! All you have to do is open your mind! Heck, Yasaka would probably volunteer to help us out too if we asked her! Whaddaya say?"

"You mean experiment with us? We don't know if I can actually learn it."

Harry instantly regretted his choice of words.

"Ooh, 'experiment'! I like that word! Yeah, we can _experiment_ all day any day! Yasaka-chan will help us _experiment_ all night long! Do it, Harry! For science!"

"No. Nuh uh. Nope. Not happening. No no no no NO."

"Nyahaha!"

Kuroka stopped laughing when she felt a hand on her head. Despite all her efforts, she couldn't restrain her purring after a few seconds. Then, she asked herself why she was resisting at all and just gave up, melting into a puddle on Harry's back. She almost didn't register him speaking to her. She felt something sink into her chest.

"Ah whuh?"

"I said, 'I'm proud of you', Kuroka."

"Mm? Why?"

"I just am."

She slid off his back as he stood. She didn't realize until now that she had lost all control over her body. It was scary. She began panicking. When she felt the hand on her head again, she calmed down.

"Don't worry, Kuroka. This happens, remember?"

The Nekoshou was confused. What was Harry talking about? She had never lost control of her powers before. Ever since the incident with Lord Naberius, she'd trained night and day to ensure that she would be able to protect her sister. Something clicked in her mind.

"H-Harry?"

"Shh. Consider your wish granted, Kuroka."

Tears gathered in her eyes, and this time she couldn't stop them. She sniffled.

 _It's not a Bishop this time._

"Y-you know what this means, right?"

"What?" His voice was gentle and soothing. Kuroka could feel herself falling asleep. She could feel her powers surging wildly through her, reawakening a part of her that had slept dormant for several years.

"You can't complain when I call you 'Master' from now on…"

Harry's smile was exasperated, but teasing.

"Then I guess I'll just have to deal with it, won't I?"

The Wizard stood up. The Nekoshou he had been petting protested his cessation of the highly pleasurable act, but fell silent when he asked her a question.

"Which name?"

"…Kuroka."

He nodded.

"It's a little late now, but better late than never, right?"

Kuroka giggled as he cleared his throat.

"In the name of Harry Potter, I command thee, Kuroka, thy soul be bound unto mine, our fates be shared, our destinies woven as one. If thou wouldst accept this contract, answer my call and be mine forevermore, till death do us part."

She liked the modifications he made to the normal incantation. Idly, she wondered if he said them to guys too. In her half-conscious state, she almost forgot to respond.

"I do."

"It's not a marriage proposal, Kuroka."

"It was to me, nyaaa…"

Her last thoughts before she fell asleep were of the man she had mate-bonded with five years ago, the invisible paw print on his neck a clear sign of her favor. The lone survivor of the search party sent to track her down. The man who had supposedly killed her in the first place, though nobody knew it was him. The irony was not lost on her. Her magical energy finally overran her mind, and she lost consciousness.

Harry looked at her solemnly and spoke one last line, confirming the bond.

"So mote it be."

A flash of light. He barely felt the burden of one more soul on top of the billions he was already maintaining.

In their shared room, Serafall Leviathan smiled as she thought of her beloved. She didn't know why she shed tears. In the forests of Romania, Vali Lucifer and Albion both perked up as they felt the addition of another powerful entity to the shared bond between all of them. The Devil would have smirked, but the body of the little girl in his arms put a damper on his mood. In the Dimensional Gap, Malfoy raised its head and hissed. The massive red Western Dragon it had been riding on stopped mid-barrel roll in shock.

And finally, in the sparring room below Yasaka Shrine, Kuroka, Guardian of Kyoto, was reborn as a Tyrant Rook of Harry's Peerage.

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

 **We have a poll up at the top of my profile! Come vote for the next arc!**

Kuroka's story has just begun.

From now on, all names of races other than "human" will be capitalized.

Happy Third of July! The day before the Fourth of July! My partner and I are both on vacation at this point, so the next chapter might actually be delayed to sometime next week. I'm actually about to get on a plane, so apologies for late review responses!

In the next update, day three of Obon! The Bon Odori! Who or what isn't already unsealed?


	23. CP4of7 Ch17 - Unsealed

**Chapter 17 – Unsealed**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Four of Seven)**

* * *

"… _Just what in the bloody Hell is that supposed to be?"_

" _The End."_

" _That's it? 'The End'? You guys couldn't come up with a fancier name?" Harry asked flatly. His entire demeanor gave off the impression that he was bored. Standing next to him was an androgynous-looking person roughly his age, dressed the same as he was, black robes and all. They both surveyed an amorphous blob about the size of a small building._

" _It is the simplest name for it."_

"' _It'? You mean that didn't used to be a person?"_

" _It is no more a person than I am. By that, I mean that we were born in similar ways."_

 _Harry stared at his companion with a raised eyebrow. When he had asked Ophis who his parents were, he had responded by saying he had none. The mysterious man who wielded Infinity was born from nothingness. Refusing to believe that, Harry had pressed further but received nothing concrete. It seemed not even Ophis was aware of how he exactly he had come into existence._

 _The first time Ophis had displayed his, or her (or its?), shape-shifting ability was the very next time they had met. Ophis being Ophis, Harry had called for him at the cemetery the day after they officially became friends and an unfamiliar young woman had appeared instead. Initially excited about finding yet another different person, and wondering if cemeteries had anything to do with it since he was the Master of Death, the wizard had been quick to introduce himself. The woman had then claimed she was Ophis. When asked to provide proof, she shape-shifted back into the familiar old man._

 _Harry had been disappointed but also intrigued. Was he or she an advanced Metamorphmagus? As it turned out, no. It just came with the concept of Infinity. Ophis could be whatever Ophis wanted, and since Harry had expressed a desire for female companionship, the technically genderless being had obliged. From that point on, Ophis took on the form of an androgynous person that leaned ever-so-slightly towards male. There was a short period of time where he had taken the form of Sirius Black from a photo Harry had shown him, but Harry eventually asked him not to since it was weird seeing two of his godfather around._

" _It doesn't look like much," Harry commented, shaking himself from thoughts of his fake family. It wasn't healthy to keep dwelling on things he had no power over._

" _It is currently sealed," Ophis stated._

" _Sealed? By who?"_

" _Genesis."_

" _Uhh…"_

" _You would know Him as the Biblical God."_

" _Ah. So, why did you bring me here?" Harry asked after wrapping his head around the fact that God was apparently an entity just like everything else on the scale of stupidly-powerful things that somehow could actually be measured against each other. He wasn't sure if Ophis was telling the truth when he said God wasn't all-powerful, but he gave his friend the benefit of the doubt. Even God foretold the end of the world, right? His theology was shaky at best, but Harry was fairly sure that was recorded somewhere in some religious text._

" _The seal is weakening."_

" _What? Isn't that really bad? And how?"_

" _It would be unfortunate if it were to break free, yes. As for how… God's foresight does not work on those who wield conceptual magic, or to be more accurate, raw magic. Since every one of you qualifies, He did not intend for the seal to withstand centuries without power from Him," Ophis explained. "It will break free soon. When it does, it will bring about the end of the world."_

" _How can it be that powerful?" Harry asked in confusion. "Didn't you tell me all magic is equal?"_

" _All concepts nullify each other. But the magic of the End draws on power from everything else in existence. All things have an end, after all."_

" _What about Infinity? You'd think the two of you would cancel each other out."_

" _I am but one infinity," Ophis said with a smile. Harry was glad the other being was becoming more expressive, but he could do without the cryptic and mysterious comments._

" _How the Hell do you count infinities?"_

" _Would you really like to know?"_

 _Harry thought about it for a moment._

" _No, it'll make my head hurt. So, what can we do?"_

"We _can do nothing, for now. However, when it breaks free, the spell that traps you will fail momentarily."_

" _You mean…?"_

" _Yes, Harry Potter," Ophis turned to face him. "You are the last of your people. You, the last of the wizards who wielded Magic in its purest form, may be able to accomplish something in that instant. I would recommend making preparations now."_

" _Preparations for what?"_

" _You must distort events enough to be able to escape. Do something you would never do."_

 _Harry considered his options. Every single time was the same. Voldemort rises to power, Voldemort is defeated, and everyone lives happily ever after until the Statute is broken. He'd already tried everything he could think of, but it still ended the same way every time. What else had he not tried?_

" _I hear Dark Lords are popular nowadays," Ophis suggested offhandedly._

 _Harry's train of thought derailed._

" _Did you just… make a joke?" he asked disbelievingly._

" _I was serious."_

" _Of course you were," Harry sighed. Wait. "You want me to be a Dark Lord? I mean, I've done it before, but…"_

" _But not with me at your side." Ophis shape-shifted into a figure Harry did a double take at. "I understand this is a rather famous historical figure for wizards?"_

"… _Merlin, wait 'til I show Sirius."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry played with his Time-Turner as he watched Sona fuss over the unconscious body of Saji Genshirou. The boy was still dressed in the clothes he had travelled to Kyoto in, his arms and legs covered in the armor of his Sacred Gear. He was physically fine as far as anyone could tell. Harry's soul sight showed him the real reason why he stayed comatose. He very pointedly ignored the mass of souls flying through the walls, unnoticed by all but him.

The blond's soul was bound. Not just bound, but tainted. If he woke up, he would not be sane. Such was the power of Sin. Deciding she was going to tire herself out at this rate, Sona straightened and walked calmly over to Harry as if she hadn't spent the past half hour running around the single futon in the room with nothing else in it.

"Can you do anything?"

"I've done all I can right now. He needs more specialized help that I can't provide. We've sent a message to Michael to see if he has anything that can counteract the poison in his soul, but since he's also a Devil, I'm not sure what options they have available."

Sona bit her lip.

"It's not just a poison, is it? If it was that simple, you would have been able to… heal him."

Harry sighed.

"You're right," he admitted. "Don't worry though. I'm sure he'll pull through. Saji's strong."

His sister-in-law didn't respond. Heaving another sigh, he wrapped her in a side hug. She leaned into him, uncaring of how her glasses got in the way.

"You just watch, So-tan. Saji'll wake up from this stronger than ever. In the meantime, you should get some rest. Even if you were protected, your Peerage is still recovering from raw magic poisoning. You'll be doing the work of all of them."

Sona looked up at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Is that my cue?"

The sliding door opened as someone walked in. He was followed by the invisible spirit of a young woman wearing gothic lolita clothing adorned with about ten times the normal amount of ribbons by Harry's estimates. A floppy witch's hat with stitching above the brim sat on her head, her shining silver hair made more ethereal by her transparent body. She stopped just short of the flow of souls, unwilling to cross it for now.

"Fenrir?"

The werewolf was wearing the same outfit as he did when they met two days ago. He walked slightly hunched over, but stood up straight when he stopped. His bodyguards and pack mates were nowhere to be seen.

"You go by your father's name?" Harry asked curiously.

"Couldn't be bothered to think of another one," the werewolf replied simply. The ghostly woman at his side shook her head in exasperation.

Sona looked back and forth between them. When Fenrir had walked in, Harry tensed up just a little. If she hadn't been pressed into his side, she wouldn't have noticed. He had relaxed quickly, but there was obviously something about the other man that he didn't like or was wary of. Sona didn't think it was his lycanthropy. On the other hand, Fenrir stood casually, but there was a noticeable wild aura about him that wasn't present two days ago. The grey-haired man stared back coolly when they made eye contact.

"You two know each other?" she inquired.

Harry gained a complex expression.

"He knew my father from… a while ago," Fenrir answered. "The Dragon introduced us yesterday."

"Tiamat? I thought she was still in her miniature form from having her powers stolen?"

"She was. Made for a funny sight."

Sona blanched at the thought of insulting the strongest of the Great Dragon Kings like that, but apparently the werewolf really didn't care about her reputation. His amused smile seemed genuine enough.

"So, why are you here?"

"To help you, obviously," Fenrir said. "Or more accurately, to help keep you out of danger."

Sona pulled herself away from her brother-in-law and rounded on him. The spirit seemed to take an interest in him as well, bouncing over and examining him from every angle. The river of souls bent to accommodate her movement.

"Harry…"

"It's not like that, Sona. Due to recent developments, Sera and I probably won't be around to help protect Kyoto during the Bon Odori. In our place, you'll basically be representing the Devils."

"Alone?" she asked. "I'm glad of your confidence in me, but that's a tall order. Can't you… call in Lord Orion?"

"He's in negotiations with the Gremory Clan. It's important. Besides, I have a trick up my sleeve that requires his absence," Harry added. "Ajuka is in Heaven, and Sirzechs and his Peerage are investigating a lead in the Purebloods. Falbium's also doing his job as Satan of Military Affairs for once. Besides, moving anyone that high-profile could stop whatever's happening. It's too short notice to call in anyone else and have them cleared in time. No, you'll be fine alone. Well, mostly alone."

Sona kept staring expectantly. Harry smirked, but his eye twitched ever so slightly when the adventurous spirit began poking at him. The sensation of someone else's soul passing through you was disconcerting, made even more so if your soul actually registered as solid to them. When he let out a small pulse of energy to discourage her, she blinked and returned to observing from afar.

"Don't forget, Koneko's here. Kuroka will also be around to help out, not to mention Yasaka and every other able-bodied Youkai in Kyoto. Sera and I will be there in the beginning, so it's not like the Devils aren't upholding their alliance."

"I don't know…"

Fenrir grunted. Harry frowned, but Sona ignored him and focused on the werewolf.

"Give it a rest, already. You'll be fine, the city will be fine, and its people will be fine too."

"Oh? You sound rather confident for a single man."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about the fox. When you've got the ley lines on your side, there's little someone can do to beat you into submission. That's not even including ol' Master of Death there," he said. He crossed his arms. "You're worrying about nothing. Do what you can, do your best, and let everything else fall into place."

"Fenrir's right, So-tan. Do your part, and let us handle ours."

Sona regarded Harry carefully. His smile was strained, but she was willing to bet at least half of that was due to the presence of the other man. Before she could observe further, someone else appeared at the open doorway.

"Harry-san, Kuroka-san has awoken," Yasaka said. She was dressed in her usual formal kimono, though she also wore a decorative ribbon across her front that marked her as master of ceremonies. Her nine tails waved lazily behind her. As a precaution, she would be presiding over the festivities personally instead of her Head Tengu.

"Oh bugger," Harry said as he made to run out the door. He would have teleported or apparated, but he didn't want to risk being ambushed by the hypersexual Nekoshou. His path took him through the spirit woman, who blinked as she realized he had passed through her.

"Nii-san, wait!"

"Don't worry about it So-tan. I'll see you tonight or tomorrow depending on how things go. Try to get along with Fenrir, 'kay?" He ran out the door past the amused Kitsune. His voice carried down the hallway as he left. "And play nice with my Rook!"

Sona blinked.

"Wait, what?" She turned to Fenrir, who shook his head. She then turned to Yasaka, who hid her giggles behind one of her sleeves. A feeling of dread crept up her spine. The silver-haired ghost woman openly laughed, though nobody was left to hear her.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"You wanted to see me, Magari-sama?"

Koneko poked her head into the dimly lit room, cat ears twitching. She located the figure of the elder Nekomata sipping tea at a low table. The older woman beckoned her in. She padded over and took a seat at the other end, declining the offer of a cup for herself. Instead, she reached for the plate of Japanese sweets nearby. Moments later she was contentedly chewing on a large strawberry daifuku she held in both hands. Magari chuckled at her antics.

"Good morning, Shiro-chan. How are you feeling?"

Chew chew chew. Swallow.

"Good." The girl paused. "I'm good," she clarified.

"I'm glad to hear it. The attack yesterday was rather unexpected. However, Yasaka-sama herself tells me you were using Youjutsu. Does this mean you've recovered your powers?"

Koneko reached for another daifuku.

"A little."

"That's fantastic news!" Magari exclaimed. Her smile was wide, but gentle. "Perhaps, now you may consider formal training? There are many who would no doubt take you on as an apprentice without question and are more than willing to work around your obligations to others."

The Nekoshou frowned. Not sweet enough? No, there was something missing. She set the daifuku down, partially eaten. Her elder's eyebrows rose.

"Is something wrong, Shiro-chan? Did they make them wrong?"

"…No." Hers was an answer to all of the questions.

"I see. It's unfortunate that you are unwilling to undergo training by other Youkai, but understandable. Hm," Magari pursed her lips in thought. "Yet, I cannot in good conscience let you reawaken your powers without supervision of some kind. Would you allow Kuro-chan help out?"

At the mention of her sister, Koneko perked up.

"Mm. Maybe."

"That'll do then, I suppose." The elder Nekomata put a finger to her chin. "I wonder. You used to be so talkative and cheerful. So much like your mother. Will we see a return of the old 'Shiro' today?"

Koneko stiffened. She almost shied away when the older woman stood and walked around the table to seat herself beside her. The white-haired girl calmed when Magari began stroking her head. Still, something was missing. It wasn't quite right.

"Do you know what tomorrow is, Shiro-chan?"

The Nekoshou shook her head. She tried to relax fully, but her body rebelled.

"It's your birthday. Your old one."

"My… birthday?"

Magari hummed a confirmation.

"Youkai celebrate their birthday upon conception. We can tell when the light of a new soul manifests in another. You were conceived during the Hyakki Yakou because your parents thought it would grant you the blessings of the Youkai." She held the trembling Nekoshou closer. "It's all superstition of course, but you were born special. Both you and your sister are extraordinary examples of our kind; the first Nekoshou born in decades. We are all very proud of the two of you for all that you've accomplished. Never forget that."

"Mm…"

Koneko's tail laid itself down in her lap as she calmed back down. Magari stared at the split tail knowingly. They sat in silence for several minutes, during which the petite Devil grew increasingly agitated again. Koneko was confused. Every year since the incident, she always became irritable around the time of the Hyakki Yakou even though the two events took place months apart. It was nice to have another explanation, but the Nekoshou couldn't help but think she'd heard this before. The disconcerting feeling of something being missing also didn't help. She started when Magari interrupted her thoughts.

"Now, I believe you have somewhere to be, young woman."

The Nekomata elder gave Koneko one last head pat and stood back up. The older woman offered the girl a hand, which she took. After pulling the Nekoshou to her feet, Magari guided her to the door. They stopped in the hallway in front of the front door to the estate.

"It's just about lunchtime now. Good luck in all of your endeavors, Shiro-chan."

Koneko nodded resolutely and left.

It took her slightly longer than expected, since she was extra cautious on her way back, but she reached Yasaka Shrine after about half an hour of walking. She would have flown, but she didn't like showcasing her Devil heritage in Kyoto. The duo of Tengu guards snapped to attention when she approached. When she got close enough, one of them stepped forward. She silently let the crow-masked Youkai examine her for a moment before he was satisfied and returned to his original spot. The other one nodded and spoke up.

"Welcome back, Nekohime-sama. How may we be of service?"

"Who's in?"

"Yasaka-sama left about three hours ago, but Kunou-sama should still be on the premises. Additionally, one of Yasaka-sama's guests entered just half an hour ago. He has not left through this gate." The shrine had other entrances and exits, but those were only available to select parties and weren't required to be guarded due to their exclusivity.

Koneko nodded and walked past them. The Tengu, used to her lack of verbosity, took her actions as a clear dismissal and returned to their posts.

The first hallway she passed revealed the figure of her little sister.

"Ah! Shiro-nee, you're back!" she said as she launched herself at Koneko. "How did the meeting with Magari-sama go?"

"Mm. Okay," was the reply as she hugged Kunou back. "Where's Harry?"

"Oh, you just missed him. He said he was really busy, but wished you good luck and wanted you to remember he'd be watching over you. Also, not to forget about your emergency necklace."

Koneko didn't notice the way her cat features drooped when she was told she had missed seeing Harry, but perked back up when she heard the rest of what the Kitsune had to say. At the mention of her Time-Turner, she stopped herself from reaching for it on instinct. She could tell it was still there because of the weird feeling it always gave off whenever she was consciously trying to sense for it.

"I don't know what necklace he's talking about since you don't wear jewelry, but he said it was something he gave to you recently, so that could be it." Kunou smiled. "So, he's giving you shiny things now, huh?"

"Eh?"

Koneko's mind blanked at the sudden question and the teasing tone it had been asked with.

"Y'know your sister is interested, right? And plus he's engaged. Then again, I hear Devils are totally okay with that, and it's not like we Youkai can really talk when it comes to monogamy…"

She blushed.

"I-it's not like that!"

"Uh huh. _Sure_ it isn't."

Koneko grabbed at Kunou, but the younger girl was fast enough to avoid her clumsy attempts at grappling through her embarrassment.

"Ehehe. Don't worry, Shiro-nee! I'm cheering for you! Eep! Hey, don't damage my house! Not the koi! Those are expensive!"

She ducked another plank and scrambled to catch the flopping fish that followed it, dropping the poor creature into a nearby pond. Good thing there were so many. Ponds, that is. Kunou found herself wishing they didn't have so many koi. When she saw her older sister about to uproot a sprig, she tackled her to the ground.

"Not the trees!"

She found herself held in an iron grip.

"Uh oh."

The evil glint in Koneko's eyes couldn't have meant anything good. The giggling was a sure sign of terrible misfortune for the victim of her ire. Kunou still shuddered when she remembered what her sister did to the perverts peeking on the hot springs.

"Uh. We can talk this over, Shiro-nee. Right?"

The grip on Kunou's arms tightened, stopping just short of being painful. She gave up and waited for her sentence, praying the other girl was feeling merciful. Koneko's spankings hurt, and the only other way she ever punished the Kitsune was by handing her off to Harry. Somehow, she doubted that was an option in this instance.

After a few seconds of tense silence, the Nekoshou made her verdict.

"…Guilty."

"Nooooo!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" _Y'know, I used to be friends with this really cool guy."_

" _Is now really the time, Serafall?"_

" _Of course! When else?"_

" _How about after our inauguration?"_

" _Relax, Ajuka. Go on, Serafall."_

 _Serafall beamed at her fiancé._

" _So yeah. This guy I was friends with…"_

" _When'd you meet him?" the fourth Devil of their group asked. He was bored, so he figured he might as well join in the conversation. They were about to sit through hours of pointless ceremony anyway._

" _Oh… well, he was human, so… he's kinda no longer around."_

 _Falbium Glasya-Labolas grimaced and began sweating when the other two male Devils shot him pointed glares._

" _Err. I apologize for my insensitivity, Ms. Sitri…"_

" _That's_ Leviathan _, Satan Asmodeus," Ajuka corrected._

" _Actually, shouldn't it be Lucifer?" Sirzechs asked._

" _Even after the two of you marry, she'll still carry the Leviathan name for the symbolism," his friend replied. "The new Four Great Satans will lead the Devils into a new age of prosperity."_

" _Why can't someone else be Satan Leviathan? Can't I just quit?"_

" _No. If I have to be here, you sure as Hell aren't getting out of it," Falbium said strongly._

" _Pfft. Fine. You guys need someone with a sense of humor anyway. All work and no play make people boring."_

" _Not 'bored'?" Ajuka noted._

" _That too, but more importantly, boring. If you want people to follow you, you have to do more than bully them around!"_

" _Sage advice from your friend?"_

" _Mhm!" Serafall chirped happily._

" _Well, does he have a name?" Falbium tried again. Surely, this was a harmless question._

" _I, uh… I don't remember it."_

 _She deflated._

 _Again, the balding Satan-to-be was the subject of two glares promising violence for upsetting the perpetually bubbly and cheerful member of their group. He threw up his hands in surrender._

Serafall smiled thinly. Her trips down memory lane were becoming more and more frequent. She was almost caught up to present day, which meant she was just about done recovering all of them. Soon, she would start remembering things she had actually been forced to forget instead of having forgotten them naturally.

Two knocks on the frame of her door told her it was time. The door slid open to reveal a grim-faced Harry. She stared questioningly.

"Hades is nowhere to be found, but we don't know if he's cooperating with them or not. Best to assume the worst. No word on Cocytus."

Serafall nodded.

"So, maybe the Greek God of the Underworld on top of the 'Evil Intention' of the Biblical God and the Venom Blood Dragon? If all three of them are here, which do you want?" she asked teasingly. Her eyes were humorless.

"Samael, obviously. You can't deal with his magic like I can, not yet. In an emergency, I can trap him with me indefinitely. All I'd have to do is hold out until help arrives, and I've fought for literal weeks before. It won't take the Three Factions or the world anywhere near that long to react."

Another nod. She stood.

"You know I've already forgiven you, right?"

"Doesn't matter. I'll atone for my mistakes my way," Harry said. "Besides, it's more than just you I owe something to."

"You don't owe your people anything. You don't owe anyone anything."

"That's not for either of us to decide."

Without saying another word, the Wizard left. Serafall stared after him sadly. She looked at the silver ring on her finger. The stone set in it flashed once.

"…Yeah, I agree. And I don't care what he says. I'll save him from himself if I have to. Because I love him."

She departed the room, sliding the door closed behind her. Outside, the glow of numerous lanterns lit up the evening sky as the sun began to set. Something tickled at her senses, but she ignored it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The day had passed uneventfully. Of course, this had only made the wait more agonizing. Several dances had been held at every hour, but the biggest was yet to come. It started in just ten minutes. Gathered in a large crowd in and around Yasaka Shrine, the humans and Youkai mingled with the latter's more inhuman features hidden. Yasaka herself, fox ears and tails hidden beneath an intricate illusion fueled by the magic of her estate, was sitting on a bench on a raised platform. The observer's box she was sat in was suspiciously empty of anyone else even though it should also have been occupied by other organizers and a Buddhist monk or two.

Sona took a deep breath. Next to her, Fenrir shifted uneasily, his usual calm broken.

"Any moment now," he said, as if his combative stance and darting eyes weren't obvious enough signs of his distress. His wild aura was almost visible now, its effects rubbing off on Sona and making her restless too. "We've always had a sixth sense for this kind of thing."

Around the two of them, the other werewolves of Fenrir's pack were spread throughout the crowd. A unique howl would signal the start of hostilities if it didn't begin where they were stationed. Sona wasn't sure how werewolves could discern between howls, but Fenrir had assured her that packs could differentiate between a fellow pack mate's howl and the howl of anyone or anything else.

"Could you restrain yourself a bit?" Sona snapped. Fenrir glanced at her before he went back to scanning their surroundings. "Your aura is distracting."

He paused.

"My aura? What are you talking about?"

"Your magic. It's emanating from you and keeping me on edge."

"You can sense that? Aren't you just a Devil?"

Sona looked at him sternly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Fenrir straightened, and his presence diminished. When he saw his temporary ward relax as well, his eyes widened.

"You… I see. Heh. Should've known there'd be more to his allies than that."

Sona blinked. Her aggressiveness was gone. In its place was her usual calculating nature. It didn't take her long to draw a conclusion.

"Looks like nii-san and I are due another talk," she said to herself. Being a werewolf, Fenrir picked up on it.

"I'd kill to have him as an older brother. Hell, I'd settle for distant family relation."

"Yeah, nii-san is pretty amazing," the Devil girl boasted, misunderstanding the meaning behind her companion's comments. Said companion saw no reason to correct her.

"…Noisy. Pay attention," Koneko said irritably.

Fenrir visibly restrained himself.

"Mind your own business, Nekoshou. I'm keeping watch. I can multi-task."

She deadpanned at him.

"Bad doggy."

"Grr…"

Sona interposed herself between the cat Youkai and dog (technically wolf) man. They turned away from each other and returned to their silent vigils.

"I hope Harry gets here soon…"

"He's already here. Look there, above the fox."

Startled by Fenrir overhearing something else she meant to keep to herself, Sona nevertheless followed his instructions and squinted at the top of the wooden box Yasaka sat in. It took her several seconds, but eventually she made out the faint outline of someone waving back at her. She recognized the signs of illusion magic.

 _Why isn't he using his cloak?_

As if reading her thoughts, Koneko frowned.

"Dumb Wizard."

She and Sona saw the figure clutch at its chest theatrically. They both sighed.

"Yep, that's nii-san alright."

"Look on the bright side. Death has a sense of humor," Fenrir said with a smirk. "That's gotta be worth something, right?"

"I suppose…"

Koneko shushed them both. The werewolf was about to protest, but then he tensed as well. Sona noticed and sank into a lower stance.

"Where?" she asked.

Fenrir responded by doing an about-face and pointing over Sona's shoulder.

"Burn!"

Koneko spun around and yanked Sona out of the way of an armored hand as the rest of the body it belonged to was set aflame. She heard several howls and watched Fenrir dash past her, tackling their opponent hard enough to send him or her flying backwards a couple of meters. Sona couldn't tell what gender the armored figure was, but the armor looked distinctly familiar. Fenrir paused long enough to let out a loud howl of his own.

The next instant, chaos erupted. Inky-black portals opened everywhere, depositing identical suits of armor all over shrine and the plaza in front of it. Several more, much larger portals opened up all over Kyoto. Uncountable numbers of people in armor fell out, falling to the ground like rain. The humans panicked.

Fenrir ripped the helmet off the person he'd knocked down, only to come face-to-face with a blank, featureless head.

"Homunculi?" he said. "Damn!" He turned towards the observer's box. Both Yasaka and Harry had sprung into motion. Every single armored homunculus that had been transported on top of the shrine was suspended in midair, unmoving. Moments later, they were covered in blue flames. This sequence of events repeated for those that were still in the air over the plaze, causing Fenrir to give an appreciative whistle. A cold wave swept over a good third of the sky, flash-freezing all caught in its wake. Other Youkai flooded the uncovered portion of the skies, led by the regular military of Tengu soldiers.

Unfortunately, those that had appeared at ground-level were still wreaking havoc. While the more powerful players around Yasaka Shrine were kept busy by the ever-increasing numbers in the sky, the honor guard of Tengu fought against the armored homunculi scattered throughout the crowd. The battle seemed about even, but then some of the Tengu turned on their allies out of nowhere. Civilians, humans and Youkai alike, also began attacking each other indiscriminately.

Sona froze the legs of a charging homunculus as Koneko punched it into another. Suddenly, Fenrir let out a pained yelp despite not having suffered a visible injury.

"Fenrir? What's wrong?" Sona asked worriedly. She got her answer when a fellow Greyback attacked him, and he retaliated by punching the bigger man in the stomach and blasting him with fire magic. The other werewolf shrugged it off, his features already halfway between man and wolf. Fenrir clutched his head in pain, the only signs of his own lycanthropy being his clawed hands and elongated fangs.

"Grr… this magic is…" he forced out. "The moon… shatter it!"

Sona looked up and saw the previously half-moon replaced with a full one. She thought that illusion magic wasn't supposed to be able to trigger things like a werewolf's transformation, but she shelved the question for now and pointed at it. A spear of ice shot out.

It impacted against an invisible barrier, but Harry noticed it. Seeing the same thing as Sona, he thrust his hand at the celestial body and closed his fist. The sky seemingly broke apart into fragments as the magic was forcibly undone.

"Look out!"

Koneko's shout came too late as Sona found her arm in the grip of one of the armored enemies. She tried to channel magic, but the draining sensation immediately disrupted her attempts. A second later, two hands gripped the arm holding her on either side of the elbow and snapped it in half, followed by a vicious haymaker snapping the homunculus' head backwards. It crumpled into a heap.

Sona looked at her savior and nearly attacked when she felt the unrestrained aura coming from Fenrir. His animalistic features had receded, but his eyes were blazing. His shirt was torn open, revealing two nasty scratches on his chest that slowly healed as she watched.

"Benefits of lycanthropy," he said when he noticed her gaze. "Get up. There's more." He pulled the Devil to her feet and helped steady her. When he made to move away and engage another enemy, she stopped him.

"These are like Saji's Sacred Gear…" she said. "He can drain the powers of anyone he touches," she added when the werewolf looked at her in confusion.

"Huh. No wonder you didn't ice him. Got it."

Releasing her grip on his arm, Sona turned to survey the battlefield while also searching for a target of her own. At some point in time, the human citizens had been transported to safety. Bodies of both humans and Youkai littered the ground, along with the corpses of the hundreds upon thousands of homunculi. Yasaka was still in her human form, floating above her shrine. All of the remaining Youkai had gathered within its protective barrier as their leader promptly disposed of any enemies who drew near. Harry had moved from the middle of the plaza to a portion of the city nearby, sending all manner of elemental spells flying through the air in a rainbow of colors. With his range, Sona estimated he was covering about a fifth of the city by his lonesome. Elsewhere, she could pick out the telltale signs of her sister's ice magic being set off over about another fifth of the city. The rest was eerily silent.

Her attention was returned to the plaza she stood at the edge of as more homunculi emerged from portals that opened into a void. She iced a few and impaled them through the chest, but there were too many. Every time Koneko lashed out with a kick or a punch, another homunculi fell. Fenrir's own savage fighting style allowed him to take out more at a time more quickly, and his fire magic was enough to badly damage even more, leaving them easy targets for his fellow werewolves or the Youkai. Speaking of, the Tengu were doing an admirable job of pulling their weight in the fight, proving why they had been appointed as honor guardsmen. Yuki-Onna and Nekomata, as well as other Kitsune, Kamaitachi, and even a couple of Tanuki pitched in with the other Youkai races.

However, despite all of their combined efforts, more homunculi kept appearing, and more Youkai became injured or drained. The lucky ones were simply knocked out or killed. The rest were held tight as their bodies were reduced to husks. Sona blanched at the sight.

"Shiro-nee! Sona-san! Over here!"

Koneko narrowly avoided the arms of one homunculus and a punch from another. She couldn't grapple for fear of being drained, and she had discovered early on that her Youjutsu had little effect. Homunculi often lacked souls, after all. When she heard Kunou's cry, she risked a glance and saw her standing amongst reinforcements. From where, Koneko didn't particularly care. The situation in the plaza was just starting to get precarious. Without hesitation, she followed Sona as she also made her way over to the side street. Fenrir disengaged and made his own way over after the reinforcements joined the fight.

"Retreat to the first line! I repeat, retreat to the first ward line!" the Head Tengu shouted when he saw Kunou leave. The Youkai were quick to obey and withdraw to the side streets. After a short distance, bright lines flared to life across the city, splitting it into nine sections, eight rough trapezoids surrounding the central Yasaka Shrine, itself in the middle of an octagon. Three of the sections were completely empty of life except for enemy forces. Yasaka shifted into her nine-tailed fox form and promptly sent a wave of fox fire through them. Unlike her daughter's, which only burned away spiritual energy, hers also acted as actual fire, hot enough to melt steel and much else besides.

From his position in his own section of the city, Harry frowned. All of the souls in the air above the plaza had dispersed moments before the attack began, but they were gathering again above one of the districts. Coincidentally, it was one of the areas he was assigned to defend.

"Not here yet…" he muttered. He breathed a sigh of relief when he sensed nothing amiss in the sections the girls had gone to. His confusion amidst his relief was amplified when he couldn't sense anything in Serafall's section or Yasaka's section either. Several armored enemies leapt at him, but he apparated a couple of meters higher, making them miss and collide into each other. A moment later, they were engulfed in a large black fireball. All of the surrounding spirits recoiled from it instinctively.

"Huh. This isn't that hard," Harry commented as he tossed the Youjutsu-enhanced fireball at another group of homunculi. An invisible wall of force stopped the rest of their leaps. The Wizard tensed as he found what he was searching for. Or at least, one of the things he was searching for. He communicated with the Deathly Hallows mentally. The ring told him its wearer was in position.

"One down. Now where are you, other snakey?"

His magic barrier broke under the focused assault of just under fifty suits of armor. He noticed several hundred more beating at the wards separating his section from the others. That wouldn't do. He was adjacent to the civilians being guarded by the Youkai.

"Let's see if I've still got it."

Taking a deep breath, Harry summoned a good portion of his reserves and intoned incantations he hadn't used for years.

" _Accio_ homunculi!"

Every single homunculus in the city was pulled towards the point beneath him he had designated as the center of the spell. The ones in his section rapidly formed a pile. When he was satisfied with the size of the pile, a thought occurred to him.

"Oh wait. _Accio_ werewolves! _Accio_ Sona! _Accio_ Nekomates! Err, that's not right."

His mind blanked for a moment.

"Bugger it. _Accio_ cat Youkai other than Koneko!" Pause. "Uh, and Kuroka!" he added at the end.

 _I hope Kuroka doesn't hold that against me._

In her room below Yasaka Shrine, Kuroka was yanked into the ceiling and would have collided with it rather ungracefully if she had not reacted in time and reinforced herself with Senjutsu. The magnetic pull ended as soon as it began, leaving the Nekoshou crouched on the ceiling. She fell to the ground on her feet and scratched at her head in confusion. Her control over the ley lines she was channeling slipped a bit, but reasserted itself before anything could happen.

"Nya?"

Harry shrugged.

"Aaand… _Arresto Momentum Totalus_!"

Everything in Kyoto, except for the swirling mass of souls, stopped momentarily. Harry felt a significant drain as his spell also affected his allies. The ley lines below the city seemed to protest as well.

"Oops, gotta watch out for that…"

Next, he sent a mental command to a sealing chamber, activating a timed teleportation spell that would take its occupant to another location once the second ward lines activated. He then pointed below him at the squirming bodies.

" _Bombarda Maxima_!"

As he spoke, another stray thought occurred to him, but it was too late for him to stop his magic. An apocalyptic explosion rang out throughout Kyoto as one of its districts was reduced to rubble. Harry stared at the destruction and facepalmed.

… _Alright, no more stupidity from me._

He put his section into stasis and swept through it, systematically dismantling and obliterating every homunculus he came across. Any portals that opened were met with an equal application of spatial magic that effectively tore anyone or anything trying to pass through apart. When he was about halfway done about ten or twenty minutes later, he felt a tug on his senses.

Harry looked into the distance and saw the distinctive figure of an eight-headed Dragon appear in his wife's section. He felt something different nearby and let the person pass through his portal unharmed, turning to face him.

"You're…"

"Masaomi Yaegaki? Good. You did well." Harry drew the self-repairing Elder Wand from its pocket dimension. "I command, **Death**."

The Fallen Exorcist collapsed to the ground as the secondary ward lines flickered to life.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kunou bit her lip in frustration as she watched the others fight. All of her offensive potential relied on her fox fire, and the rest of her combat abilities were defense or support-oriented. This translated to her being powerless in the face of the soulless homunculi except to fend them off. It wasn't like she could punch their lights out like her sisters. Not that Kuroka had shown herself yet.

As Fenrir made to tear another homunculus apart, his target jerked unnaturally and flew off in a random direction. Around him, his werewolf compatriots were similarly confused when their own targets were also drawn in the same direction, towards an adjacent warded section. Sona recognized it as the one her brother-in-law occupied. She had a bad feeling. Said bad feeling was amplified when the werewolves, except for Fenrir, were taken too. The Greyback pack leader flared his magic outwards powerfully to try and resist the pull, resorting to digging his claws into the pavement when that wasn't enough.

"Damn it! Oi! Sona! Get your ass over here!"

Sona's retort was cut off when she felt herself being pulled off her feet. As soon as he saw her fly through the air, Fenrir let go, positioning his body to cover the Devil as much as he could while they were taken to their destination.

Kunou and Koneko watched, dumbfounded, as their allies sailed away, along with all of the homunculi in the vicinity. The other Youkai, mostly Nekomata, watched in shock as well. Magari was the only one who reacted differently.

"Brace yourselves!" she cried out. Moments later, she and her people were flying through the air against their will. Many noticed the two Princesses of Kyoto staring open-mouthed at their allies being taken away by some mysterious force and redoubled their efforts to remain in place, but everything proved fruitless in the end. The remaining Youkai encircled the two girls even though the streets were otherwise empty. Inexplicably, the portals had stopped spawning homunculi, a few armored figures seemingly stuck midway through them.

Then, the whole world was rocked by an explosion. Everyone, Koneko, Kunou, and their fellow Youkai, were sent tumbling to the ground as a wave of debris swept through the area. When Kunou managed to get to her feet seconds later, she stared incredulously at the destroyed district of her beloved city.

"HEY! STOP DESTROYING MY CITY!"

"Kunou!"

Her sister's alarmed shout brought her back to her senses in time to see one of the homunculi drop out of a portal directly above her. She dived out of the way as her personal Tengu guard impaled it through the chest and flung its corpse aside. She looked over to see the other portals had begun spawning homunculi again as well.

What followed was a desperate melee as more and more of the remaining Youkai fell to injuries or draining. Visibility was reduced as lanterns were detached or cut apart, the flames and other light sources within extinguishing themselves as a safety measure. Youkai were afforded some night vision from their more animalistic sides, but it didn't seem to affect their opponents at all.

Kunou winced as another of her barriers was broken apart from enduring one too many hits. The Youkai she'd been protecting was saved by one of her fellows, but both of them were grabbed soon thereafter and drained before anyone could save them in time. Their dried-out corpses crumbled to dust as they hit the floor.

Koneko felt someone grab on to her and tripped the offender, perfectly-executing an over-the-shoulder throw with her enhanced strength, tossing the homunculus into two of its allies. The whole pile was electrocuted courtesy of an Inugami. She panted heavily as they were replaced by even more armored enemies. They were endless. She was grabbed from behind again, this time by two pairs of arms. Feeling her energy being drained far too quickly for her tastes, Koneko focused on her Time-Turner. The two homunculi let go of her as if burned, and clutched at their bodies as they crumpled into the dirt. The Nekoshou almost collapsed with them as the backlash of raw magic usage hit her. She felt her sister and one of the Tengu drag her into a building.

"This isn't good, Hime-sama," the guard said, addressing a worried Kunou. "You should retreat further in. We will cover you and follow afterwards."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kunou snapped back. "There'll be no heroic sacrifices today. We can retreat together."

"With all due respect, Hime-sama, we risk being overrun. It is far safer for everyone involved if you retreat first, and we retreat later as a separate group. Your defensive magic is better suited to protecting fewer people. I personally promise to bring as many people as I can with me to the secondary ward line."

Light flashed throughout the city. Every Youkai blinked in confusion.

"Is that…?" Koneko started.

"The secondary wards have already gone up!" the Tengu said urgently. "Hurry! We must make haste towards them!"

He got no disagreements. Koneko and Kunou were already running by the time they heard the calls for retreat from behind. The streets ahead were mercifully clear of enemies, though that was liable to change at any time. As soon as they crossed the ward line, they found themselves somewhere else. Kunou had enough time to register the colors of the Dimensional Gap before she was bodily tackled to the ground.

Koneko had thrown herself at her sister, pushing her out of the way of a familiar part-demonic, part-spiritual spear. The two of them heard a tongue being clicked in annoyance.

"I would prefer you to be at your best, but vengeance will not wait, I'm afraid. Now die!" Lord Naberius shouted.

Kunou's hastily-erected barrier was broken with a single spell, letting the follow-up blast force her and her sister apart in different directions. Before she could act, she found herself suspended in the air, surrounded by a cage of spears all pointed at her.

"Sit still, little fox. I'll deal with you later."

Koneko rolled to the side on instinct, narrowly avoiding a blast that would have impacted her chest. Two more spears were dodged by a hair's breadth as she twisted and contorted her body around them, kipping to her feet after the third. She caught the fourth with a Youjutsu-reinforced hand, chucking it back with gusto. Naberius batted it away contemptuously. Koneko frowned. He was much stronger than last time.

"Hmph. If this is all, I may as well kill you and your friend now."

The Nekoshou bristled at the threat to her sister Youkai, but her attempts to close the distance were halted by a strong gravitational field repelling her from her target. The spears sent at her were unaffected as they sailed through the air. Koneko forced her tired limbs to react the way she needed them to, fighting against the gravity to make headway while circling around the male Devil.

Naberius' attention was diverted by a blue flame that sprang to life on his arm. He brushed it off like it was dust, the fox fire winking out of existence. One of the spears surrounding Kunou shot forwards, impaling her thigh. She suppressed a scream of pain as it failed to cause physical injury, but instead damaged her soul like all Youjutsu was designed to do.

The momentary distraction caused the gravity field to falter long enough for Koneko to break into a dead sprint. She didn't get close enough for a direct strike before it reasserted itself stronger than ever. She fought against its push but failed to shorten the remaining distance. Her opponent scoffed.

"Pathetic. This isn't the power I sought. Die, and maybe your sister will entertain me more this time."

The gravity intensified, throwing Koneko back. Three spears followed her. She saw them as they approached while she was helpless in the air, unable to even reposition herself to strike at them. Her vision was obscured by a curtain of black hair that appeared out of nowhere.

Kuroka let the spears hit her body, shattering against her newly-gained Rook constitution combined with a judicious application of Senjutsu augmented by the ley lines of Kyoto. The cloak she had been hidden under when she was transported from her room vanished of its own accord. Her teasing expression twisted into hatred when she regarded Naberius, who returned her glare with a sneer. He motioned towards the spears surrounding Kunou, only for her to be transported into the dark-haired Nekoshou's arms and set on the ground gently. The spears redirected themselves and shot at her, but she backhanded the empty air as contemptuously as the Devil had originally done to his own returned magic. All of the incoming spears shattered simultaneously.

Lord Naberius' eyes widened in surprise. He then smiled wickedly.

"Yes… Yes! This is what I wanted! That was the power I sought! Show me more!"

"Sorry, not interested," Kuroka deadpanned. The corners of her lips twitched upwards. "Also, I'm taken."

The Devil nearly bit his tongue off as a copy of Kuroka kneed him in the back of the head and another punched him in the stomach, further doubling him over. The real one delivered a hammer blow to his back, launching him downwards into a crater in the ground. Black fire followed him, engulfing his surroundings in a sea of flames. His cries of pain gave Koneko some measure of satisfaction. Kuroka transported herself to the ground, not having the advantage of flight magic.

The ground exploded outwards as Naberius stood. He looked unharmed, but prior experience let both Koneko and Kunou know his soul had been damaged by the Youjutsu-enhanced assault. He snapped his fingers, and skeletons rose from the ground around the two girls. Kuroka was interrupted mid-transport by a space-locking spell, stunning her long enough for Naberius to drive a spear into her abdomen.

She grabbed it angrily and crushed it in her hands, but not before using it to pull her opponent into a headbutt. She then took advantage of his own stunned state to return the favor by driving five Youjutsu claws into his chest. She used her other hand to punch him back towards the crater he had just flown out of, sending yet another black fireball after him.

Meanwhile, Koneko punched skeleton's head off, with infuriatingly little effect since the rest of the body continued to attack her with a primitive sword of stone. Kunou was having much better luck with her fox fire, incinerating the spiritual energy fueling the necromantic creations. She was also taking an inordinate amount of pleasure in being useful offensively, tossing her fox fire around with a passion that slightly unnerved her white-haired sister.

The ground shook as Naberius' power skyrocketed further. Even Kuroka was taken aback. He clapped his hands together, and a giant skeletal Western Dragon rose from the ground behind the two girls, while a singularity warped into existence in front of the dark-haired Nekoshou. Unable to teleport herself, Kuroka was forced to backpedal, enhancing her limbs with more chakra to counter the gravitational pull. When Naberius rushed at her with almost thirty spears in his wake, she drew on the power of her Piece and took a page from her sister's book.

The Dragon actually stumbled when Kuroka's punch split the earth. Koneko, who had been airborne on course for its head, overshot her jump and had to course-correct with her limited mastery over flight magic, causing her to land on it instead of hitting it as she'd intended. Deciding this worked just as well, she proceeded to punch it as hard as she could over and over. Kunou, who had been standing, was sent sprawling as the equivalent of a small earthquake was released from behind her. Not for the first time over the past few days, she felt a little out of her depth.

Koneko's pummeling seemed to have pissed the Dragon off, which was a weird thing to contemplate since it was an undead creature with no emotions or ability to really think or feel. Said rage abated temporarily when its creator was tossed into its body, crashing straight through its ribcage. Dragon, smaller Nekoshou, and Kitsune stared incredulously at the new hole in the former's chest. Moments later, Kuroka sailed through it in pursuit of her thrown victim. When it attempted to stop her, the Dragon had its front leg shattered as well.

Somehow, without a voice box or even a throat, the Dragon roared in fury. The girl on his head was thrown off and landed next to her younger sister.

"GOOD! MORE!" Naberius shouted, outwardly none the worse for wear.

"…Worse than Akeno," Koneko muttered. Kunou stared at her questioningly, but received no response. The two of them dived in opposite directions to avoid the snapping jaws of the undead Dragon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"We may not have a hundred this time around, but I will teach these invaders to look down on the Youkai."

Nurarihyon hummed ponderously as he kept watch over the civilians under his care. Next to him, his aides Retsuza and Kumowatari likewise remained alert. They had completed their initial sweeps of their smaller section mere minutes earlier, having disposed of all homunculi with minimal casualties. His superior illusion magic was apparently enough to fool their limited senses, letting his forces take many of them by surprise and prevail despite the numerical disadvantage. The portals were still spitting out more, but they were relatively safe behind the secondary ward lines that automatically ejected intruders.

"Just one more hour. Hm?"

The leader of the East Faction turned around and saw a boy approaching him, armor covering his hands and feet.

"You're… ah. The Devil boy. Now, what are you doing out of bed, I wonder?"

His aides tensed, but Nurarihyon stopped them from trying to bar the boy's path. The boy walked straight past them all without acknowledging them, his gait robotic and rigid.

"Nurarihyon-sama?"

"Our duty is to protect the civilians," the old man said. "Let those who are here to fight, fight."

"What if he attacks them?" Kumowatari asked.

"He will not. His target is not here."

"Should we warn the others?"

"Tell them to let him pass into the next area. I suspect he will not make it any further."

"Hai." Retsuza vanished in a whirlwind to convey his leader's orders.

Ignoring everything else, the boy slowly proceeded past the gathered crowd, drawing a few looks. His footsteps eventually took him past the primary warding line into the neighboring zone. He stared blankly up at the man standing in front of him.

"Sorry, but I can't let you go there, Saji," Harry said. He pointed the Elder Wand at the blond and put him back to sleep under a much stronger spell.

As his target collapsed to the ground, the Wizard turned around to face the new presence that had shown up behind him. The cries of the souls around him were silent now.

"That magic does not belong to you, fake."

"As I understand it, it doesn't belong to you either. If you think you can take control of it from me, then by all means, Hades."

The wand was pointed at the deity.

"I invite you to try."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Yes, "werewolf" is arguably a race. No, we aren't capitalizing it because it looks weird to us capitalized.

Naberius' necromancy is a throwback to SMT Devil Survivor.

It's been a month since we first released the story. Yay!

In the next update, the Guardians reunite and the Hyakki Yakou begins! Also, Harry gets reacquainted with an old friend!


	24. CP5of7 Ch18 - Twins

**Chapter 18 – Twins**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Five of Seven)**

* * *

The Greek God of the Underworld eyed the Elder Wand trained on him. It was difficult at best to tell his emotions just from the dual pinpricks of light in the eye sockets of his exposed skull, but Harry got a vague sense of both wariness and curiosity. The deity took on the appearance of a stereotypical skeleton mage or priest from a video game, his bones moving and his soul surviving despite all of science and magic saying such should have been impossible. He was dressed in a white priestly hat and robes, with black pauldrons on his shoulders lined with gold and further decorated with red spikes. His robes hung open at the front to reveal his ribcage, but the bottom half of his body was covered by a separate cloth piece.

"I do not see the rest of the set," Hades noted.

"Others had more use for them than me," Harry replied. His arm holding the wand lowered itself, causing the other being to lower his own magical focus, a staff topped with the skeleton of some small animal. The unspoken ceasefire was more practical than it was actually desired. Nothing good would come of the two of them clashing here.

"You are a fool to give that power to others."

"I disagree, but I get the feeling I won't be able to change your mind. Did you release Samael?"

Hades scoffed as his eyes turned red for a moment from their usual neutral white.

"Even I have lines I won't cross. No, Cocytus is as secure as it has always been."

"That doesn't explain why Sin's being tossed around everywhere."

"…I will reexamine the seals later, but it's none of my concern if the other races of the world decide to kill each other off. The two of us share Death. Why can't Sin be the same?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. Callousness aside, the deity's soul told the truth, unless someone had finally invented a way to circumvent literal soul-searching. Hades believed that everything in Cocytus was as it should be; which meant the deepest pits of Hell had been infiltrated. Not impossible since Dimension Lost was out there, but far from easy and definitely not something that could be accomplished in any reasonably small time frame. That it was done without the knowledge of its overseer was troubling.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, ignoring the implications of Hades' own question. The latter rarely left his realm except when something was taken from him. He guarded his souls jealously, and a major source of the animosity between the two of them was due to the Master of Death meddling with the natural cycle, even if none of the souls Harry had extracted from it were bound for Hades' realm.

"Recently, several souls were taken from the cycle by an entity other than you. Many of them directly from me."

That caught Harry's interest. Unlike Hades, his own mastery over Death did not afford him the sort of supernatural sense for others messing with it. If multiple people had been resurrected, there was a lot of divine power being thrown around, and the only thing the Wizard could think of that might be able to do that was a Sacred Gear. One in particular that he had been searching for. Otherwise, the amount of living sacrifices needed would have tipped both Harry and Hades off, regardless of the former's lack of Death-senses.

"One of them is under my employ, but that doesn't really tell me why you're here, talking to me," the Wizard said. "You could just as easily have killed him and reaped his soul back."

"That human's soul was never truly mine. His was in Purgatory when it was taken. I do not take that which is not mine."

Interesting tidbit, there. So Masaomi was bound for Heaven eventually? Good on the Angels.

"That tells me even less," Harry remarked. Hades stared at him for several seconds. The subject of his scrutiny stood in silence, waiting for him to elaborate further. When the god eventually spoke, it was not to explain.

"Enough," Hades said, turning around. "So long as it wasn't you, I will pursue them on my own." He walked a few steps before stopping. "Mark my words, fake. You play with powers you know nothing of."

"Funny, usually I'm the one saying that to others."

The deity did not appreciate his candor.

"Death does not bend the knee so easily. Your artifacts are far from indestructible."

"I'm well aware, thanks. Would you like to volunteer to help me destroy them?"

There was a violent surge of raw magical energy, far too powerful for Harry to safely defend against without the aid of his cloak. The Wizard raised the Elder Wand in its place. The entire magical blast winked out of existence once it came into contact with it, the wand absorbing it all greedily. Despite the unmistakable intent behind his spell, Hades did not move to cast more, nor did Harry move to counterattack. The two rightful wielders of Death regarded each other in silence.

The Greek God of the Underworld scoffed again, though this time it was light. His eyes shifted to blue.

"Farewell, Master. When next we meet, it will be too soon."

As Hades vanished, Harry suppressed the reflexive urge to protest at his title. The Elder Wand, silent throughout the entire affair, pulsed once. He looked down at it, then up at the sky. The souls of the dead were mostly gone, except for one. The spirit of the silver-haired young woman floated down and waved hello.

"You again?" Harry asked in exasperation.

She covered her mouth as her shoulders shook slightly.

"Can I help you?"

Vigorous nodding. The woman grabbed on to his arm and made to pull him in the direction of one of the neighboring areas. He stubbornly refused to comply, eliciting a pout.

"I'm defending this place."

Deadpan stare. She gestured around them at the street populated by immobilized suits of armor.

"More will come. See, there're portals in the distance." As he spoke, the portals deposited more homunculi that were promptly caught in the invisible stasis net cast over the entire district.

She pointed up. It took Harry a second to realize she was pointing at the moon. She then crouched on all fours and made as if to howl at it. She frantically held her floppy witch's hat in place after it almost fell off when she tilted her head backwards.

"…Is there something else going on with the werewolves?"

More nodding. Pointing.

"Is something wrong with the moon that I don't know about?"

Facepalm.

"Oi! I'm not good with charades! And you're doing a terrible job of explaining anyway!"

She huffed. That was when her hat moved on its own, the stitches unraveling. Before the Wizard's eyes, it seemed to gain several decades of age, becoming tattered and worn. The woman looked up at it and pulled it off her head, holding it at arm's length as it talked to her. Harry stared open-mouthed while they conversed.

"Th-that's…"

His shocked utterance caught the attention of the spirit woman, whose eyes lit up. Without further ado, she ran over and plopped the hat on his head. A familiar voice echoed in his thoughts.

" _Well hello there, Master. Or should I say, Lord Potter? Fancy meeting you here. Tell me, how has the Sword been serving you? Given any thought to reopening Hogwarts? Or perhaps taking responsibility for the organization you helped found?"_

The Sorting Hat and the woman whose head it previously sat on took inordinate amounts of joy in Harry's speechlessness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Kuroka winced as she narrowly avoided another series of spears. The boost from the ley lines was running out, and her opponent was still too energetic for her liking. The immaculate state of his clothing aside, the undying Devil's soul was about half-eroded. Her Master was a right bastard for giving him the amount of power that he did. At least the Dimensional Gap was naturally inhospitable to other beings since it was made of raw magic. According to Harry, he purposely linked Naberius' soul to the realm so that he would be forced to draw upon it for energy. The Devil attributed his soul's deterioration over time to it being unsuited to handling the increased power, which, while also true, was an outright lie the Wizard had told him.

She risked a glance at her sisters. Big, strong, and durable though it may be, the skeletal Dragon was hardly much of a threat to Koneko and Kunou. The enormous creature was limited to stomping or swinging its front legs, biting with its head, or the strange Youjutsu-like dark flame breath it spewed out, occasionally lashing out with its tail whenever the white-haired girl ended up behind it. Its physical attacks were slow and telegraphed days in advance, so they weren't likely to land unless either of the girls were somehow immobilized, and its breath attack, though powerful, could be held at bay with fox fire long enough for the girls to escape its range as well.

The only problem was neither of them could deal any substantial damage to the thing. Punches and kicks failed on their own, and the Koneko's limited access to Youjutsu wasn't enough to change that. Kunou's embers would have been enough to devour the spiritual energy fueling the undead creation, but the Dragon happily breathed fire on itself to put them out. Attempting to hold its mouth shut or redirect it only resulted in the entire skeleton bursting into flames after it took enough damage.

So it was that Koneko and Kunou fought against the burning skeleton of a Western Dragon that put itself out and spontaneously combusted over and over in an endless cycle. If the situation were less dire, Kuroka would have giggled at the cute deadpan expressions on her Nekoshou and Kitsune sisters' faces. She stomped the ground and pulled out another chunk of earth, hurling it at the airborne Lord Naberius.

Early on in her own fight, her opponent had realized that she no longer had access to Devil wings and the accompanying flight magic. He naturally took to the air and stayed there whenever possible. She was fast enough to catch him off guard, thankfully. Compounded with the fact that she could physically clone herself, the majority of the damage thus far was dealt to the opposition. However, now that she could no longer throw around her remaining energy so frivolously, she was having trouble continuing that trend. It didn't help that her opponent liked to position himself so that his attacks headed towards her sisters if she avoided them.

Naberius made no attempt to hide his own frustration. At this rate, he would be lucky to put one of the Nekoshou down, much less succeed in getting his revenge on the one he actually wanted to kill. He knew the real target of his ire, the Master of Death, was far beyond his reach. He also knew that it was highly unlikely he would be allowed to actually kill any of the Youkai he was currently engaged in combat with. But, he and his Master had a common secondary goal.

After a failed bonding several years ago and subsequent experiments at forcing it to succeed, the male Devil had eventually died at the hands of the sister to the Nekoshou that he had been experimenting on. His soul was given to the Youkai as a symbol of sincere apology, and he was ridiculed and mocked by both Devil and Youkai alike for his ambitions. But he knew! He knew that the key to true power lay in the subjugation of other races, just like the Old Great Satans believed! And so, he jealously guarded the results of his experiments, taking them with him to the grave.

Only, he had not counted on the Master of Death taking an interest in them. Imagine his surprise when the entity that he thought would eternally damn his soul instead offered to help him achieve a part of his dream beyond death. Sure, they disagreed on how exactly Devils and the other races should interact. Still, Master knew what he had done. And today, he had the singular opportunity to finish what he had started. Except… Lord Naberius had been sorely disappointed.

The white-haired Nekoshou vaguely resembled what the Devil remembered. When Kuroka appeared, he was ecstatic, thinking her hair had simply changed colors. He had no idea what might have happened to his test subject in the years since he had seen her. It was only after fighting her for almost an hour that he admitted she was in fact his old Bishop, the one he had failed to bond with in the first place. That meant the spritely little white-haired Nekoshou struggling against his undead Dragon was indeed his target.

If only the black-haired Nekoshou would get out of his way. Another singularity failed to achieve its desired effect as his opponent dashed out of range as soon as it formed. It was times like this that Naberius regretted never practicing larger-scale magic more. He tried forming multiple in a rough dome around her, but she made another of her infuriating clones outside the encirclement and swapped places with it. Anything he tried to toss at the other girls was intercepted and often thrown back at him with extreme prejudice. He couldn't afford to keep wasting his remaining power like this. Resolving himself, the airborne Devil floated down slowly.

Kuroka eyed him cautiously as he descended. He couldn't have set off any more red flags with a glowing neon sign. She interposed herself between him and her sisters. It was then that she heard a cry of alarm.

"Kuro-nee! Fire behind you!"

Without looking, she strafed right, keeping her eyes on Naberius. Sure enough, he raised his hands and slapped both palms on the ground. His magic circle, family crest at the center, expanded until it covered almost a hundred meters in every direction in the blink of an eye. Kuroka abandoned her observation and sprinted towards her sisters. Two clones popped into existence and went after the crouched-over Devil. They smashed into an invisible wall and bounced back, to both their dismay. The original made it to her sisters' side as the Dragon crumbled to dust.

In its place, a legion of undead skeletons in armor, wielding metal swords and shields, spears, and bows emerged from the ground. Several larger knights also materialized, with a portion of them riding skeletal horses. Behind Naberius, another Western Dragon, the hole in its ribcage repaired, roared as it unearthed itself. Kuroka was unimpressed.

"You're… kind of a one-trick pony, ain'tcha?"

"Hmph. So you say."

The man snapped his fingers. Black flames sprang to life on metal swords and atop the tips of arrows. The Dragon was covered with a black, tar-like substance that solidified into a facsimile of skin and muscle. Fire burned in its empty eye sockets.

"…Creepy. Creep."

"I agree, Shiro-nee."

Naberius' eye twitched. He waved his hands.

Kuroka panicked as she felt teleportation take ahold of her. The spatial-locking spell cast on her earlier was still in place. How? She was wrenched from her position next to her sisters into the path of the newly-formed spear in Naberius' hands. Koneko stiffened, but let out a sigh of relief when her sister twisted in midair and kicked the male Devil away. She was forced to worry more about herself when the undead legion attacked.

One crucial difference was made apparent immediately. The presence of the black fire on the skeletons' weapons was designed to counter Kunou's fox fire. If not for her sister, the Kitsune would have been overrun in seconds. As it was, she desperately fought to help clear a way towards the edge of the crowd of undead so that they were no longer surrounded. Every passing second, one of the two girls sustained some form of injury. Soon, they were covered in small cuts and bruises and hurting from the spiritual damage caused by the fire.

Koneko made an executive decision punched the ground as hard as she could, sending the surrounding skeletons and Kunou stumbling. She then grabbed on to Kunou tightly, lifting her off the ground. She channeled as much spiritual energy as she could to her limbs, which was more than she really expected to have left at this point. Her sister protested.

"Shiro-nee, don't you dare! I swear to everything I'm gonna tell Mom if you WaaaaAAAAAaaaaahhhhh-"

The petite Nekoshou nodded in satisfaction as her sister sailed off into the distance, the many arrows that tried to pierce her as she flew over the heads of the skeletons missing their mark and falling short. She questioned why it was her sister's cry had suddenly cut off towards the end, but had no time to ponder it further since her vision was obscured by the Dragon stomping towards her. When had it made its way over from her sister and Naberius? Koneko's thought processes halted when Kuroka was flung into its path, dazed, and suspended in midair before it.

The creature opened its mouth to bite down on her. She shook her head and regained her bearings, but not fast enough. Instead of closing its jaws, a dark glow lit the back of the Dragon's throat. A moment later, black fire engulfed the body of the Nekoshou.

"KUROKA!"

Koneko ignored the swords biting into her as she charged forwards. She tripped a random skeleton holding a bow and punched the bow in half while using the archer's body as a makeshift weapon to unseat an armored knight. A swift kick beheaded it, and she chucked it, armor and all, into the Dragon's mouth. As quickly as it had begun, the gout of flame stopped as its source shook its head to dislodge the thing blocking its unnecessary airway.

The body of Kuroka was revealed, still hanging in midair. She was angry, but clearly tired. Her sister wondered why it was she hadn't broken free yet, but reasoned if she could have, she would. Thus, to help the process along, Koneko tossed more skeletons at Naberius, who had at some point moved closer to the two of them, hovering in the air. He looked tired as well, but had no trouble dismantling his minions before they hit him.

A barrage of spears halted Koneko's forward progress, a few nicking her along her body. She found herself teleported into the man's grip. His hand clenched tighter around her throat as she battered uselessly at his arm. Naberius' was distracted by a tooth from his Dragon bouncing off his head with great force, rocking it backwards. Koneko took advantage and kangaroo-kicked him with two Youjutsu-reinforced legs, finally breaking his hold on her and the spell trapping Kuroka. They dropped to the ground simultaneously and regrouped.

"He's a lot more powerful than me when it comes to spatial magic," the dark-haired Nekoshou said. A wall of dark flames rose to block identical flames being spewed from the Dragon's mouth. The skeletons caught in the crossfire were incinerated.

"Plan?" Koneko's Kenjutsu was nonexistent, so instead of using the sword she had literally disarmed from a skeleton the way it was meant to be used, she used her favored tactic of throwing it and the arm holding it at another horse-riding skeleton. Sadly, it wasn't unseated like the one her sister tossed an exploding fireball at. She made a note to herself to practice that next.

"I don't see a way out, do you?"

"…No."

As one, the two Nekoshou punched the ground, blasting dozens of skeletons away. Kuroka used the last of her ley line boost to construct a large, dome-shaped barrier to temporarily protect against projectile weaponry and prevent their enemies from getting any closer. Naberius' attacks passed through her spell like it wasn't there, but both Rooks were agile enough to dodge them.

"Outlast him. Watch out for his teleportation, and if he traps you, I'll get you out."

"What about you?"

"Well, that's what I have you here for. Right, Shiro-chan?"

"…Mm."

More black fire roasted the skeletons unfortunate enough to be standing between the Dragon and its intended targets. It fizzled harmlessly against the dome of energy. The two sisters deadpanned at the large creature.

"Y'know, I betcha he can't make another one of those," Kuroka said idly.

Koneko nodded. She blinked when her sister handed her the largest fireball she'd made yet. An identical one was held in her hands.

"Aim well, Shiro-chan! Whoever does more damage gets more head pats later!"

The petite Nekoshou froze, her expression becoming deadly serious. Kuroka almost fumbled her throw as a ridiculously large energy burst occurred beside her. Moments later, she recognized the shape of her other fireball impacting the Dragon's flank, searing a good portion of it.

"Nyahaha, you'll have to do better than that, Shi…ro…chan?"

She trailed off as she saw an even bigger fireball in her sister's hands. The gold hourglass around the smaller girl's neck shone brightly.

"Where did you-"

Toss. Kuroka watched as Koneko used both hands to throw the oversized ball of Youjutsu flames. It sailed majestically through the air, where it was promptly swallowed by the unwitting Dragon, which apparently thought that doing so was an appropriate countermeasure. She watched in morbid fascination, her own fireball forgotten.

And then the creature's head was turned to ash. The rest of its body swiftly followed.

Everything on the battlefield stopped for a second. Skeletons turned as one to look at the destruction of their largest ally. Koneko faced her sister, while Kuroka swallowed nervously. Naberius looked… happy?

"Uh… you win."

The white-haired Nekoshou nodded in satisfaction.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry wasn't sure what to say or ask first, so his natural eloquence took over.

"Err."

The Hat laughed boisterously. He couldn't hear her, but his eyes told him the woman across from him was also laughing. He narrowed his eyes at her. Something about that silver hair seemed the slightest bit familiar, now that he thought about it.

" _Don't tell me you've forgotten dear Augusta. Her daughter is quite put out that you've never visited her."_

Augusta?

Wait, _that_ Augusta?

" _Yes, Lord Potter. The very same girl you abducted years ago in your misguided attempts to save her from her future husband. She did rather well for herself after you left them behind in Great Britain. Unfortunately, she met a tragic end in the forests of Romania at the hands of the vampire clans. Her husband died trying to save her."_

The spirit sniffled theatrically, dabbing at her eyes with one sleeve. Harry deadpanned at her, but his thoughts were still a mess. His last memory of Augusta was a bright-eyed teenager promising him to take good care of his hat. The semi-transparent woman standing a couple of steps away was at least in her late twenties, not to mention she never had such a proclivity towards ribbons. The emblem on Augusta's dress, in the general shape of the Hogwarts coat of arms with a big, stylized "H" in the middle but missing the four sections that would have represented the four Houses, was also unfamiliar to him.

" _Surely you haven't erased your own memories of the spoken language? We always had such interesting conversations."_

Harry's mind finally rebooted and his mouth snapped shut.

 _Don't call me that._

" _Ah, good to see you've joined us. Your disdain for formal titles never ceases to amaze me, though it is rather unfortunate for you that it is the also the fastest way to garner your attention."_

He groaned since he couldn't really refute that.

 _Wait, Augusta had a daughter?_

" _Yes, she did. It's difficult to say how long it's been, but I suppose she would be in her late teens or early twenties by now. But is that really what you want to ask me?"_

The Wizard blinked. Oh, right. Kyoto was being invaded.

 _How long will you stay here?_

" _I wager for as long as dear Augusta decides to remain. You did bestow me upon her after all."_

 _Good. We'll talk later. I'm in the middle of something important._

" _If I may offer advice… would it not be prudent to simply close all of the portals?"_

Harry frowned. That would have been ideal, but as powerful as he was, even he couldn't close every single portal across all of Kyoto. Not to mention new ones would undoubtedly open up. There were just too many.

" _Too many for the Master of Hogwarts?"_

 _I don't hold that title anymore._

The Hat scoffed, while the woman stared in confusion. She was unable to hear Harry's thoughts, so was only privy to half of the conversation. Her lips soon formed into a pout as she lightly beat on his chest. He relented and spoke aloud for her benefit, even if it made him look insane for seemingly talking to himself. It wasn't like there was anyone else around to hear him, and he stopped trying to claim sanity after the first couple centuries.

"I said, 'I don't hold that title anymore'."

The Hat scoffed even louder, prompting another fit of giggles from Augusta. She always was the bubbly sort, kind of like a younger Serafall. Harry vaguely recalled how they met, her stumbling upon his warded home in the vacant plot where Hogwarts Castle should have been. She had (correctly) assumed he was some sort of amazing Magician hiding out in the woods and demanded to be taught since she had found him. He was on the verge of giving in for the heck of it until her boyfriend tracked her scent to the building.

Then came the whole fiasco where Harry temporarily forgot this wasn't the old world and panicked upon seeing an old enemy. In the end, she became his apprentice anyway. When the Wizard decided to move on, he left her the Sorting Hat to remember him by.

" _Ah yes, congratulations on your latest marriage. About time, if you ask me."_

Augusta's eyes widened, and she stomped her foot angrily at Harry. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with his secret engagement and subsequent marriage without informing her.

" _There's hope for you yet, Lord Potter."_

"Don't call me that. You have my attention already."

" _Right you are. As I was saying, Lord Potter_ _, passing me off does not invalidate your rights as the last wizard. You, and you alone, will always be the Headmaster until the time comes that you see fit to raise the next generation of witches and wizards. Or Magicians, I suppose. I highly doubt there will ever be another true Master."_

Harry sighed.

"Fine, whatever. Anyway, as you've pointed out, I'm busy. Can it wait?"

" _Hmph. 'Whatever' indeed. As it were, I thought you might like to know that dear Augusta here is a specialist of a very special sort."_

"Isn't that redundant?"

His comment earned him a smack on the arm from the woman.

" _Allow me to elaborate. Augusta is a very talented Magician. Using her talents, we have determined the source of the distortions."_

Harry was immediately on alert. If he could stop more homunculi from spawning, Kyoto would be freed from its siege in no time at all. The city wasn't even really in danger, what with Yasaka and Nurarihyon here in full force along the majority of the elite Youkai under their command. It was just the sheer number of homunculi that was resulting in any damage or loss of life. Harry was necessary to combat the conceptual magic used by one or more of the invaders, but Serafall was overkill. Her presence was due to her insistence on participating.

"Show me," he demanded.

An image was projected into his thoughts. He recognized the tell-tale colors of the Dimensional Gap along with the sharply-dressed male Devil who stood with a grey-haired woman at his side. The latter wore in ceremonial armor of Norse origin and had a dead-eyed look signifying her mind-controlled state. Next to them both, Harry also saw his target.

"Are they still there?"

" _Yes, though there is something you should know."_

"Unless it'll affect my plans, tell me later."

The Hat took a fraction of a second to review said plans.

" _As you wish, Master."_

Harry didn't even notice the use of his title, too occupied with setting everything in motion. Without hesitation, he shot a bright red signal flare into the air with magic. At the same time, he urgently pulled on his fledgling familiar bond. Seconds later, Tiamat appeared in her miniature Blue Dragon form. Augusta cooed at her silently. Luckily for her, the object of her affections could not see or otherwise sense her. The spirit woman pouted when she was unable to pet the diminutive Dragon.

"This better be important," she growled out. "I was in the middle of-"

"It's time. Have you recovered enough?" Harry interrupted.

Tiamat paused.

"I can fight for a couple of hours, give or take. Extracting my power is a slow process."

"It'll have to do. Cover for me," he ordered. "I'm going after the users of Sin."

The Wizard focused on the set of spatial coordinates the Hat was feeding him and teleported away even as his familiar assumed her much larger true form. His last sight was of a sheet of ice covering the entirety of his assigned area. He would have to apologize to Yasaka later. Maybe offer to reconstruct the whole district.

" _You're losing focus,"_ the Hat pointed out.

Harry blinked. He was in the Dimensional Gap, but his quarry was nowhere to be seen. Augusta looked around in wonder, her silver hair swaying back and forth hypnotically as she swiveled her head back and forth slowly, trying to take it all in. He teleported again, concentrating on his destination.

Wizard, Hat, and lingering soul appeared in a different part of the endless void. This time, they were not alone. Standing in front of them were the people from the Sorting Hat's vision. Euclid Lucifuge, twin brother of Grayfia Lucifuge, glared at them, though his expression returned to being neutral after a couple of seconds. His female companion, a Valkyrie if Harry had to guess, didn't react outwardly to their sudden arrival and continued staring into space. The third and last member of their group hissed angrily. Harry instantly sensed something off about him. He passed the Elder Wand to his left hand as he prepared to draw his favored sword with his right.

"YOUUU!"

With a cry of rage, the half-Fallen Angel, half-snake hybrid lunged. His momentum was halted by a stasis spell. He broke free within seconds, but by then Harry had already advanced far enough to plunge his summoned sword into the twisted man's torso. The Wizard's own forward charge was enough to knock the Samael clone backwards to the ground. Harry attempted to pin his opponent down using a combination of gravity magic and the sealing runes engraved into his sword, but his plans were derailed by a magical explosion of force, tearing his sword from his grip. Before he could regain his bearings, he found himself restrained in midair by more magic.

" _Augusta, swap them!"_

The myriad explosions set to go off around Harry's body instead tore into not-Samael's when they traded places. The series of hateful and pained hisses sent a shiver down the Wizard's spine. He couldn't tell what the other person, if he could even be called that at this point, was saying, even with Parseltongue to help him out, and it only unnerved him all the more because it sounded like there was a clear pattern to the hissing.

Harry slightly regretted giving Naberius so much power earlier. Several different elemental spells then took him by surprise. Blasts of lightning, fire, ice, and wind threw him from his spot on the ground. He identified the source as the Valkyrie. A glimpse of her soul with mage sight was all he needed to justify his next move. He used flight magic to alter his course so that he landed on his feet and pointed the Elder Wand at her.

 **"Death!"**

Samael raised his hand.

 **"Sin!"**

The two spells collided and cancelled each other out. Harry heard chuckles from the Devil. The grey-haired man spoke for the first time since they began fighting, his deep voice echoing across the barren wasteland.

"So it's true. The so-called 'Master of Death' is actually a human Magician. Under the employ of the fabled Lord Orion, no less. Or is it the other way around?"

Both not-Samael and the Valkyrie stopped, but Harry remained wary. He was going to need to remove that information from Euclid's mind just in case.

" _Augusta, the memory charm if you please? The one I taught you a couple of years ago?"_

 _She can cast our spells?!_

Harry fought to keep the surprise from his face. A mischievous smile played across the ghostly woman's lips as she held up a peace sign. He ignored her. He ignored her harder when she floated right next to the male Devil and wiggled her fingers over his head playfully. She was finished in moments. He frowned even more severely than before.

"…Ah, I see. I cannot remember, and I am slowly forgetting even that. No matter, my master already has his suspicions. Our failure will confirm them. And if we succeed, well…"

Power built up around the Devil, magical energy gathering in his hands.

"Then the so-called 'Master' wasn't so mighty, after all."

" _Master, about that Devil…"_

 _Later, Hat._

Hostilities restarted. No longer bothering to hold back, not-Samael began casting all manner of magic spells, all tainted by his conceptual magic of Sin. Harry used the Elder Wand to fire counter spells at a blistering pace, somehow managing to redirect or nullify every single one of them in addition to avoiding the explosions Euclid constantly triggered around the battlefield. Once again, the Valkyrie took Harry by surprise when she suddenly teleported herself behind him. Her kick felt like Koneko's on steroids.

Harry re-summoned his sword. He didn't want to kill the mind-controlled Valkyrie, but he didn't have many options at the moment. After sidestepping another lunge from not-Samael and using him as a shield against a few explosions, something clicked in his mind. He suppressed the urge to facepalm. Testing his theory, Harry called out to his new main target.

"Nice homunculus you have there, Euclid. I wonder how many more you have?"

The Devil tensed, which was all the confirmation Harry needed. The newly-identified homunculus of Samael renewed its assault by lunging again. Instead of bothering to turn around after it was dodged, it used its tail to smack Harry away. He just managed to block it with a barrier, but the impact still sent him a fair distance. The runes on his sword glowed dimly.

Wondering why the Valkyrie wasn't troubling him, Harry risked a glace and saw Augusta merrily dismantling the other woman's spells as she formed them. He briefly tried to remember when he taught her counter magic, but came up blank.

" _She came up with it after watching you."_

Harry was impressed.

" _As well you should be,"_ the Hat boasted proudly. Augusta was like a daughter to it.

Explosions interrupted their mental conversation. Euclid stared at his female ally in confusion.

"What's the matter? Why aren't you attacking?"

"…Interruptions," the Valkyrie answered flatly.

When she prepared to cast more spells, she was taken off-guard when she was forcibly transported into close proximity with Harry. Reacting admirably, she attempted to engage in melee combat. Harry wasted no time putting her in stasis and stabbing her through the chest. The sealing runes activated and transported both her and the sword into his special pocket dimension. Euclid's shock wore off quickly.

"Out of curiosity, what would you have done if you have succeeded in neutralizing the magic in her earlier?" Euclid wondered. "Surely you don't believe we would have cared for her?"

"Your soul tells me otherwise, Euclid," Harry retorted. "You love Grayfia perhaps a tad too much."

"Be silent."

The Devil gaze became cold as he cast more explosions. They were all dismantled courtesy of Augusta, much to Euclid's hidden frustration. The Samael homunculus cast more spells of its stolen conceptual magic (which Harry was still trying to figure out; how did one steal or even borrow a concept?), but they were similarly neutralized by return blasts from the Elder Wand.

Harry's statement didn't achieve the effects he'd hoped it would. Sure, he was bluffing about being able to read the other man's soul since it was somehow hidden from him, but it wasn't like his obsession with his sister was much of a secret. Harry didn't need to read his mind to know why he had that particular grey-haired Valkyrie under his command. The resemblance was there. Rather than rile the Devil up though, it only seemed to sharpen his focus more.

"You and Sirzechs really are perfect for each other. You'd be best friends! You could get together and talk about how much you love your sisters! Oh wait. That wouldn't go over well, would it?"

Euclid's neutral expression cracked.

"Shut up!"

More explosions, bigger and more violent. Augusta scrambled to work her magic on them, but was unable to stop them all. Harry took care of the rest. The Devil assumed the Wizard was responsible for everything, and a hint of fear intruded on his mind. It was subsumed by anger and hatred.

"After all, who KILLS someone they claim to love? Who betrays and kills their SISTER?!"

Harry punctuated his shouted question with a complex Youjutsu spell that absorbed the magical energy of other spells Euclid fired at it to stall its progress. When not-Samael tried to use Sin on it to disrupt its structure and save its master, it only worsened the spell's eventual effects. After the barrier he constructed was broken with ease, Euclid attempted to move elsewhere, only to find himself held in place by Augusta's own magic.

"ARRRGH!"

Euclid clutched at his chest painfully. There was no visible damage, but Sin did its work on the soul. The Youjutsu enhancing the spell only burned all the more as it greedily devoured the Devil's spirit. Harry let the homunculus retreat to extract the magic from its master's soul, curious as to how it would do so. Mage sight showed a piece of what the Wizard assumed to be Samael's original soul sealed within the artificial body reclaiming the much smaller piece it had injected into the spell. His guess had paid off.

That also meant he now had nothing else to fear.

" _Master, there's something you should know…"_

 _Later!_

Harry considered his options. The rest of the homunculus army was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean much. If Euclid or the homunculus with fragments of Samael's soul in it were responsible for transporting them, there was no telling if they had been maintaining the link while they were fighting. It was a little worrying that none had appeared to assist them during the fight proper, but Harry wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Killing both would seal the deal, so to speak, but they were valuable sources of information. Best to capture them for now and interrogate them later.

 _One more for Augusta. Use it on what I'm about to do._

The Sorting Hat read his mind and gasped.

" _So that's what you did… Augusta, prepare another memory charm, if you please."_

Harry straightened his posture and raised his voice.

"Give it up, Euclid. You're no match for me. You never were. If you didn't have your homunculus with you, you'd already be dead."

"You think you've won? You are nothing before our power!"

"What power? I could do this all day. You're running on empty."

The Pureblood Devil bit back his retort. His eyes widened.

"That's right, Euclid. I can see your soul now. Tell me, why did you kill Grayfia? The war was already over. You lost."

"My sister betrayed us!" he shouted. "She betrayed everything we stood for!"

Harry put the Elder Wand away in his pocket dimension, next to the unmoving body of the Valkyrie. Seeing his apparent vulnerability, not-Samael was quick to fire a wide-area spell at him. Rather than defend, Harry walked straight through it, the conceptual magic of Sin failing to take hold in his soul. He smirked at the expression of shock on Euclid's face. The blindfold prevented Harry from seeing most of the homunculus' features, but he doubted it was made to feel actual emotions anyway.

"Grayfia saw the error of your ways and chose to atone."

"Error? ERROR? The Lucifuge family has served the Satan Lucifer loyally for dozens of generations! Hundreds!"

Harry shook his head.

"And now, she serves the current Satan Lucifer. Who do you serve, Euclid? Let me guess. Oh wait, I don't have to, do I?"

Euclid's eyes widened as he looked back down at his chest. Harry's smirk turned into a vicious grin. Oh yes, whatever blocked him before was definitely gone now.

"Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Leader of the Old Satan Faction. Good to know Sirzechs was on to something after all."

"NO!"

A different approach. Instead of point explosions, a cascading chain of them traveling at Harry. The Wizard thrust his hands out and halted them all in their tracks with one word.

"Suppression!" he intoned.

All magical energy around Euclid froze in place. Augusta was looking decidedly ragged, but she still managed to stare in wonder. The Devil and his homunculus tried, unsuccessfully, to cast more magic. As soon as he realized the battle was indeed lost, Euclid began to chant a teleportation spell to focus enough energy to bypass the block. Not-Samael charged.

Harry's head hurt. It took an inordinately large amount of magic to do what he was doing. If his opponent completed his incantation, or if the suppression spell was interrupted, Euclid would escape. Thankfully, Harry still had the trick up his sleeve he had sacrificed additional presence around the world for. He wouldn't be using it to trap the actual Samael, but the second-in-command of the Khaos Brigade worked just as well. As a bonus, since it was unlikely the Devil would be able to escape, he wouldn't have to trap himself inside either!

 _Is the spell ready?_

" _You underestimate your disciple."_

Off to the side, Augusta waved energetically. Good enough.

"You're not going anywhere, Euclid. Not you, and definitely not your pet snakes."

Harry lowered his hands and used one to bat the oncoming homunculus aside. Youjutsu was so useful. A powerful stasis spell would hopefully hold it long enough to be dealt with in a moment. The other hand grasped his Time-Turner necklace tightly and pulled it from his neck. He tossed it at the Devil.

Euclid finished his spell. His triumphant look was slightly tinged by confusion when he saw the intricate hourglass flying at him.

" _Tempus Incarcerous_!"

Before he could react, he was displaced from time, his entire body vanishing. Harry waited several seconds for the spell to finish its work before walking over to retrieve the floating Time-Turner. He fastened it around his neck again, the magical chain resizing and repairing itself as necessary. Then, he turned to an exhausted Augusta. The ghostly woman gave Harry a thumbs-up. He sighed in relief.

" _Master…"_

 _Hat, I swear…_

" _Not that. His spell was designed to transport both him and the homunculus into Kyoto."_

He paused, then looked to the side where it should have been. The barren field was empty save for him and Augusta.

"Oh, bugger."

Harry concentrated through his headache and teleported into Kyoto just in time for someone to collide with him. He was sent tumbling to the ground, his face buried in a very feminine someone's assets. Both the Sorting Hat and Augusta stared incredulously. What kind of luck was that? The Wizard took a few moments to reorient himself.

"Ow _…_ Harry-kun? What are you doing here?"

Harry blinked and attempted to push the woman off of him gently. She didn't budge, but he recognized the frills on her uniform. The star staff was also a dead giveaway.

"Sera?"

Harry's vision was restored after his fiancé got to her feet. She promptly tackle-hugged him as soon as he stood, nearly taking them both to the ground again. His confusion was exacerbated when he saw the rampaging eight-headed Dragon in the distance, clearly in another warded zone.

"Sera, what are _you_ doing here? Why is Yamata no Orochi still in Kyoto?"

Her cheerful expression turned sheepish.

"Well, you see… It didn't work."

Augusta's attention was on the silver ring on Serafall's left ring finger. Harry tried his best to ignore the focused gaze boring into him from the side.

"It didn't work? What do you mean, 'it didn't work'?"

"I was gonna do as you said, but Tia-chan came along and ruined it all!"

"Tia… Do you mean Tiamat?" Harry asked. He looked into the distance and, sure enough, saw the Blue Dragon breathing her icy blue flames all over the other Dragon, who roared and spewed purple jets of what could only be poison at her. Tiamat was taking great care to avoid being doused.

"Master? What are you doing here?"

Harry turned and saw Masaomi limping towards him. He wore the same outfit as before, albeit more damaged and without his chest bare. The Youkai-forged katana he'd been given to replace Kusanagi was slung across his back. At his master's questioning look, the former Exorcist shrugged, wincing as he did so. He moved the hand covering his stomach to reveal a nasty bite wound, the skin around it colored purple.

"Poison. I don't know how, but the Dragon has it. Conceptual, or at least a very close replica," he said simply. "If not for your own magic in my core, I would have succumbed long ago."

The Wizard walked up to him and placed his hand on the man's chest. Moments later, a wispy fragment of energy was extracted, and the wounds closed themselves. Masaomi raised an eyebrow.

"You're right. It's not true conceptual magic. Just a very potent copy," Harry explained. "They attached it to soul fragments and are using those as fuel."

He absorbed the fragment for safekeeping.

"How's the rest of the city?"

"As soon as Tiamat-sama appeared, Yamata no Orochi went berserk and charged at her," Masaomi reported. "Went right through the wards supported by the ley lines, taking heavy damage, but it healed almost immediately."

"On the bright side, all the stupid armors have stopped coming!" Serafall chimed in. "Did you do that?"

"Maybe," Harry replied. "Did anyone see Samael's homunculus?"

His question caused both of the other living beings to snap their heads towards him.

"Did anyone see what who why?"

"Homunculus?"

Their confusion was mutual.

"A homunculus with a portion of his soul," Harry elaborated. "The actual Samael is still in Cocytus, as far as I know. But the Khaos Brigade broke in, took part of his soul, and implanted it into an artificially-made body and now it can use the original's powers."

As he spoke, Yamata no Orochi roared and began writhing around wildly. The explosion of power that decimated the district Harry was initially supposed to defend attracted the attention of everyone in Kyoto. Augusta pointed needlessly.

" _I think I know where it went."_

Harry could only facepalm. He definitely owed Yasaka a few districts' worth of reconstruction magic now.

In the next moment, the moon seemed to darken.

"What now?" he cried.

The cries of dozens of different Youkai races filled the air. The remaining lanterns that still functioned were extinguished, plunging the streets into darkness. Harry blinked.

"Well, at least the civilians are safe now!" Serafall chirped.

"Yes, the magic of the Hyakki Yakou should ensure their safe passage to Tokyo," Masaomi added. "That just leaves us with one problem."

The one problem reared its ugly heads, one of which laughed maniacally.

"What now? Do we call it Yamata no Nanachi?"

"That's would be 'seven', Master. You also changed the wrong part of the name. I suppose you could liken it to the Kuzuryuu now?"

The previously eight-headed Dragon's ninth head, that of Samael, continued to laugh madly until the entire creature was frozen by Tiamat's frost breath. The Chaos Karma Dragon then stopped moving and blinked in confusion. Slowly, she turned to face Harry and began advancing.

The Wizard was the first to register something horribly wrong. Tracing the unfamiliar magic to its origin, he hurriedly pointed the Elder Wand at the moon.

" **Dea-!"**

Quicker than he could intone his magic, Masaomi's blade flashed from its sheath and knocked the Wand from Harry's hand. Serafall reacted immediately and flash-froze the Fallen Exorcist before he could do anything else. The Wizard summoned the Deathly Hallow back into his hand, once more pointing it at the moon.

" **Death!"**

To his surprise, the illusion reasserted itself.

 _It's not conceptual?_

" _The civilians. Also, Miss Yasaka and Miss Tiamat."_

 _You have got to be joking._

The wards lowered. A wave of fox fire answered his thoughts, almost powerful enough to damage his normally unassailable soul. Instead of protecting himself, Harry pulled the Cloak of Invisibility from where Kuroka had stored it, apologizing to her mentally, and covered Serafall with it. The wave washed over both of them harmlessly. Masaomi, trapped as he was, was mysteriously unaffected.

"Uh, Harry? Plan?"

"Errr."

" _Prioritize. The snake is the source."_

Harry turned to Serafall.

"Your Time-Turner. Wait, no. Yours isn't powerful enough. We'll use mine again. Trap that monster and take it out."

"What if the Youkai attack each other?"

He stopped short. What if the only reason Masaomi had been spared was because those under the spell recognized the presence of someone not bound by it? That would mean…

"I'll stay." "I'll stay behind."

The two of them spoke at the same time, having come to the same conclusion.

"I'll stay," Harry reasoned. "I can handle anything they can throw at me, and you'll be safe against Samael's magic with the Cloak."

"I'll be safe no matter where I am," Serafall countered. "You can kill it faster."

" _She has a point."_

"What if more enemies come? We don't know if there are more waiting to attack. It's arguably safer for us both if you kill it."

"I didn't propose to you so you could protect me, Harry."

"Damn it, Sera. You know that's not what I meant. And besides, I proposed to you first."

"You what?"

Harry paused. Then, he cursed inwardly. Nearby, Augusta had a hand to her mouth.

Serafall blinked as she tilted her head to the side. She looked between him and the ring on her finger, or more accurately, the Resurrection Stone lodged in it. It flashed once. To her fiancé's confusion, she giggled happily.

"…Ah, I see. I guess I'll remember that soon."

She didn't say anything else, instead moving towards the center of the city, in the direction of Yasaka Shrine. The massive nine-tailed fox eyed her as she approached. The cloak on the magical girl's shoulders fluttered as she walked.

"Sera! Wait!"

"Nope~! I'm gonna take care of things here, and you're gonna take care of the big baddie! Go get em, Harry-kun!" was the cheerful reply.

Harry sighed.

" _Best to get it over with. I never agreed with your overuse of the Obliviation spell anyway."_

 _Shut up, Hat._

" _Whatever you say, Master."_

He was too tired to complain. He wanted to go to sleep and have the day be over already. A thought transported him from his position halfway across the city to right in between the frozen form of Samael fused with Yamata no Orochi and Tiamat. Another thought dismissed his familiar back to her previous location.

"I _really_ need a target for my frustration, snake," Harry said, uncaring if the other party could hear or comprehend him. "Looks like you're the poor bastard who gets to be it."

Cracks formed in the ice. The magic of Sin began leaking out. First one head broke free, then another. They snapped at Harry, who regarded them with the same, uncaring attitude. A barrier formed around the Wizard as more and more heads freed themselves, all trying to inject Poison into him. He waited patiently for Samael. Of course, the homunculus was the last head to try its luck at killing him.

Harry's Time-Turner was already in his hand. He was sorely tempted to break it and unleash all the stored power inside, but unfortunately, he had a very specific use in mind for that once-off trick.

" _Tempus Incarcerous_."

The world distorted around the two of them. When everything unblurred, Harry was standing in a familiar field with the fused monstrosity, which just barely fit. One either side were three goal posts of differing heights, with rings at the top. The moderately-sized field sat inside of a ring of bleachers much like a modern sports stadium, divided into four sections with gaps in between them. Off in the distance, Harry could see Hogwarts Castle, or a replica of it, like everything else was in this dimension.

"Since I don't have time to waste, let's just start with 'instantly deadly' and work our way up."

The creature roared at him and thrashed about wildly. Contrary to all laws of physics, the wooden stands, the field, and even the thin, metal goal posts sustained no damage at all.

"Uh huh. I heard an 'okay' in there somewhere. So…"

The Elder Wand appeared out of nowhere, summoned from the replica Headmaster's Office where it was usually stored when Harry had no use for it. He leveled it at Samael's upper body.

" _Avada Kedavra._ "

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Midnight changed everything. Koneko's body inexplicably began burning up, causing her to misjudge the force behind her blows and unbalance herself. Kuroka noticed and moved to assist her, but her own body reacted much the same way. Naberius actually paused in his assault to watch curiously, a frown stretching across his face. After a few seconds of observation, he huffed.

"Is it that time already? This marks both of your birthdays, doesn't it? Strange, your official coming-of-age ceremonies should have taken place already. Ah, but of course…"

He interrupted his own musing.

"It seems my time is almost coming to an end. Since you have disappointed me, the price for your failures is your life. But, I am feeling generous."

Lord Naberius used over half of his remaining energy to craft a spear. It was more than powerful enough to fatally injure one of the helpless Nekoshou beneath him. He acted quickly and grabbed ahold of the black-haired one. She squirmed in his grip, but without the necessary focus to use any of her techniques, she could not escape. Her white-haired sister panicked and tried to push herself to her feet, but failed.

"Choose, 'Shiro'. Who is it that loses their life today? Choose, like your sister did all those years ago."

Naberius smiled at the irony of the situation. It would not last much longer. He was intimately familiar with Youkai physiology, Nekomata and their rare subspecies in particular. Every year, on their birthday, mature Nekomata were urged by their bodies to establish mate bonds. Those who had were overcome with the need to consummate them, unless they underwent a special ritual. For whatever reason, none of the elder Nekomata had seen fit to perform it this year, or more likely, the two Nekoshou did not participate. It was something of a festival for them, if he remembered.

Nonetheless, it lasted at most a week, starting from before their birthdays, and coming to a head at their exact time of conception. The symptoms passed in minutes, which meant time was short in more than one way. His own soul would not sustain him much longer. Truly the Master was a fearsome individual, to have calculated this far ahead.

"Well?" Naberius prompted. Every second he held the spear, more of his energy was siphoned to maintain it. Any less and it ceased to be the relevant threat he needed it to be. Both he and the Master had waited several years for this moment.

"I…" Koneko whispered. The petite girl struggled to stand.

"Choose, 'Shiro'."

"I…!" She was on her feet, swaying unsteadily. She couldn't channel any energy. Her body felt like it was on fire. There was no way she'd make it in time. She clutched at her chest.

"Choose!"

Her cat ears drooped.

"Kuroka…"

Naberius deflated. He let the woman go, her form crumpling to the ground instantly.

"So that's it then. Well, you've made your choice. Say your last words." He raised the spear above his head and pointed it downwards.

"Shiro-chan… It's okay…"

"Kuro-kaa, I'm sorry."

The Devil paused. The woman at his feet blinked. The nuance was different.

" _Tempus…_ "

Kuroka's eyes widened when she saw the device in her sister's hands. It was the same device Harry had used to seal Koneko in the first place. With a quiet snap, the Nekoshou broke the Time-Turner in half.

" _Emancipare_ …!"

The rush of energy would have blasted Naberius off his feet if he hadn't anchored himself in place. As it was, he still skidded backwards several meters along the ground. His spear was systematically torn apart by white fire, forcing him to drop it or meet the same fate. Kuroka was unaffected, the wave of power washing over her and covering her in a familiar feeling.

Naberius' eyes lit up. His smile was so wide it hurt his face. He was right. He had succeeded. His legacy would prove all the others wrong! The last vestiges of his soul succumbed to raw magical poisoning moments before a white blur crashed into him. He was no longer there to experience it, but his body was turned to ash in a brilliant white blaze.

Shirone straightened up and glanced over her shoulder at her twin sister. The two of them were like mirror images of each other, except where one preferred black, the other favored white. Even the other woman's clothing was like a reflection of her sister's, only white and purple instead of black and yellow. She also didn't wear her kimono as low. Her snow-white cat ears twitched as her tail waved idly about as she walked over.

"Shiro…nee?"

Kuroka was picked up and carried bridal style.

"Mm… I'm back, Kuroka. Sorry you had to wait so long."

She stopped trying to hold her tears back.

"Welcome back…!"

Shirone nodded and turned to stare into the distance.

"Kyoto… still under attack," she noted.

She looked back to her sister. Kuroka blushed slightly.

"Uhh, yeah. I can stand now, I think."

Shirone promptly dropped her to the ground, eliciting a yelp of surprise.

"Th-that was mean, nya."

"Annoying verbal tic."

"Hey! You used to say it all the time! I learned it from you!"

"Grow up."

Kuroka pouted outrageously.

"Ahhhhh, you became so mean, Shiro-nee! Gimme Shiro-chan back!"

"Not 'Shiro-nee'. Shirone."

Kuroka paused.

"Ah. You… like that name?"

"Mm. Like yours."

"…Okay. Shirone then." The dark-haired Nekoshou nodded. "Yep, Shirone. Welcome back."

They smiled at each other.

"Now whaddaya say to getting some head pats from Harry-kun?"

Shirone's golden eyes glinted.

"…Let's go."

"Alright! Guardians, go~!"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Canonically, Koneko's birthday is in November and Kuroka's is in October. In this story, their birthdays represent their dates of reincarnation. Just some headcanon we're not sure if we'll actually use.

Being Nekoshou, both Koneko and Kuroka were nicknamed Shiro and Kuro, respectively, until they reached maturity, since Nekoshou are known for not usually surviving that long. They adopted their names to mean "White Sound" and "Black Song" later. This is revealed in Koneko's Interlude, but in case you don't want to read it, this tidbit will help you understand some references in the story better.

Yes, Grayfia and Euclid are twins in this fic. We mess around with various dates a lot.

In the next update, a snake is slain! Among other things! Also, what's Sona been up to?


	25. CP6of7 Ch19 - Snake

**Chapter 19 – Snake**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Six of Seven)**

* * *

"…Nothing again."

Smash. There was something strangely therapeutic about watching Samael-Yamata run into the Quidditch stands like an angry, drunken idiot. Stupid thing still hadn't given up on destroying the indestructible landscape. Harry was content to let it keep trying since it kept him from having to avoid any attacks other than the stray jet of Poison. He floated in midair about a hundred or so meters from one end of the field, twirling the Elder Wand idly while he tried to craft another spell.

After the fused monster had shrugged off the (vastly overhyped, in Harry's opinion) Killing Curse, the Wizard had gradually amped up the intent behind his spells intended to induce death in various ways. A Magician's spell repertoire was only as limited as his imagination and his mental training. Having lived for far longer than most Magicians, Harry had a wide selection of spells available to him. The problem was there were only so many ways to kill someone or something, and his target was powerful enough that nothing short of a majority of his available reserves backing a spell would cause any appreciable effect.

So, Harry was currently testing different methods of killing or otherwise neutralizing the threat the Dragon posed. As soon as he found something that worked, he'd throw as much power into it as he could and hope for the best. He was only slightly annoyed with himself for leaving the Sorting Hat and Augusta outside. They might have helped with brainstorming.

The Killing Curse in its most basic form was supposed to "kill" the soul. Before he learned how souls worked, Harry took this at face value. Now that he knew souls didn't really possess a concept resembling death in their natural states, the most deadly of the Unforgivable Curses was a lot less impressive. Souls were bound to things. This could be anything with magical energy of some sort. The Killing Curse severed all of a soul's bonds, usually causing death as a side effect. Being a homunculus, the fragments within the artificial body weren't so much bound to it as they were just stored there, so Harry's first spell had been shrugged off.

Another spell left the Elder Wand, the third variation of the Killing Curse so far.

The first simply incorporated the concept of Death, but the monster either retained enough intelligence to recognize it or just reacted on instinct, blocking it with a curtain of Poison. It had then retaliated by firing Sin at him. Harry teleported somewhere out of sight, and quickly realized his enemy was dumb as a rock because the Dragon fused with Samael lost interest and began ramming into the stands.

The second tried to halt all biological processes. Harry didn't think that would stop it completely, but it might have disrupted its concentration and allowed him to sever the magical bond to its spell over Kyoto that it somehow maintained across temporal dimensions. Said bond already proved impervious to destruction via conventional and unconventional means, so he could only surmise it was being actively maintained. The spell did temporarily cause the monster to crumple to the ground, boneless, but it recovered soon afterwards.

Harry's most recent variation was designed to strip away magical energy. With any luck, he'd banish the soul fragments from their container. It had disappointingly little success, but there was hope. When the spell impacted its target, the oversized head of Samael on the end of a long snake neck writhed around a bit more. Harry was sure it wasn't his imagination. Unfortunately for him, his spell had unintended consequences.

The fused monstrosity stopped its rampage. The homunculus of Samael blinked a few times, its eyes regaining some lucidity as it looked around. When it spotted Harry floating a ways off, all nine heads hissed menacingly at him. The subject of its hatred blinked in response.

"I didn't… did I?"

Several magic circles materialized in the air, boxing Harry in. His eyes widened.

He teleported right before he was caught in an explosion of dark energy. When he reappeared, another box awaited him. Rather than escape again, Harry figured his secrets were pretty safe inside his pocket dimension and took control of the magic. Moments later, his opponent was caught in a much larger explosion, amplified by the Wizard's own energy.

Harry smirked. He never got tired of his opponents being surprised by that. He lamented the fact that the eight heads of Yamata no Orochi seemed to have lost all semblance of intelligence, judging by their lack of reaction to having their magic circles hijacked, but took consolation in knowing he had definitely shocked the homunculus fused with them at least.

"HOW? I COMMAND YOU, **SIN!** "

Not waiting for an answer to its question, not-Samael repeated its earlier tactics with the addition of its conceptual magic. Taking a risk, Harry took control of the magic again, absorbing the extra component in the form of the soul fragment he knew was the source. The homunculus let out a triumphant cry.

Images of the past assaulted his mind. Money. Fame. A castle. His first real family.

 _You have everything. It's all yours to enjoy…_ Gluttony.

More images. His daughter's graduation. An award ceremony. Meetings with the ICW.

 _What gives them the right? You deserve to rule…_ Pride.

The world fast-forwarded itself. Everyone was at war. Two words sealed the fate of his people.

 _It would be so easy. It's their fault. Kill them. Again. And again…_ Wrath.

Time passed, but nothing changed. He fell into despair. He isolated himself.

 _Who cares what happens? Nothing matters anymore…_ Sloth.

It didn't hurt. The whispers were incredibly tempting, but in this one instance, Harry was inclined to listen to a few. Namely, the ones inciting him to violence. He let Sin course through him, its energy fueling his magic-banishing Killing Curse. He idly thought about naming it and possibly patenting it or something. Maybe later.

" _Avada Kedavra!"_ the Wizard intoned.

The spell shot out like a missile, taking its target in the head. The homunculus and the body it was fused to were blasted backwards. The effects were definitely visible now. Long neck deformed and became something closer to a torso. Two protrusions on either side became arms. Soon, rather than just another head, the entire upper body of the Samael homunculus looked like it had been removed from its other body, enlarged, and reattached to the middle of Yamata no Orochi's eight heads. Both arms clutched at its head as the homunculus screamed in agony.

Harry watched the results of his spell in satisfaction. His satisfaction slowly morphed into a feeling of contentment, then outright joy before he shook his head wildly. No, he wasn't like this. He would never lower himself to the level of his enemies. He didn't get happiness from causing others pain and suffering.

More visions. He remembered the last years he spent with Ophis. He used the would-be Death Eaters better than the real Voldemort ever would. With the resurrected Merlin at his side, the Dark Lord Voldemort and his army waged war with the entire wizarding world.

 _You did it once. Do it again! Make everything yours…_ Greed.

At the height of his reign, Voldemort did the unthinkable. He committed ritual suicide along with every member of his army. A miracle occurred that day. Everyone they had kidnapped was returned safe and sound. Everyone they had tortured recovered, waking up in their hospital beds. Everyone they had killed went home to their families, back from the dead.

That day at midnight, the world ended, and Harry Potter gained his true freedom. In that singular moment, with access to the combined magical power of all of wizardkind, he was more powerful than he had ever been. With it, he forged a new seal and gave its key to Ophis.

 _Infinity. Apocalpyse. The End. Imagine what they're capable of. Imagine if you were their Master. Imagine if you wielded them, controlled them… became them._ Envy.

Harry twitched as he fought for control of himself. That he had any measure of control at all was telling. Sin wasn't like Death. It wasn't immediately dangerous on its own. It made people do things they normally wouldn't, most of which included killing others and eventually, themselves. When infused in a spell, its user was rumored to be able to incite the suicidal impulse or enthrall others.

The magic of Sin in the soul fragment had no intent. The fragment was safely stored separately from Harry's own within his body, while the energy from it was being used to fuel his spells so he didn't need to expend his own. This was the first time the Wizard had ever attempted such a thing, but it wasn't like he'd gotten much chance to practice fighting other concepts in the past. Sparring with Ophis didn't count, and he never actually fought the End.

Another modified Killing Curse sent the writhing mass of heads into a frenzy. If everything in the dimension weren't immune to alteration both physically and magically, Harry was sure he'd have to remake the entire Quidditch pitch from scratch. As it was, he drew some small amusement from watching the heads smack into things, including each other.

He lost consciousness for a moment as his mind was overwhelmed. When he came to, Harry realized he had fallen to the ground. From almost twenty meters above it. His body ached even though his magic had acted to cushion him.

"Okay. Maybe I underestimated Sin just a tad." Speaking out loud made it easier to differentiate his own thoughts from the whispers still echoing through his head. He stopped channeling magic, but they didn't stop, only becoming more muted.

"Good enough."

Harry quickly took to the air to avoid eight streams of Poison that formed a small lake beneath him. Apparently Samael-Yamata was done writhing in agony. On the bright side, mage sight told him his spells had achieved success in a different way. The soul of Yamata no Orochi was once again its own entity, floating in the center of its chest. The portion of Samael's soul sitting in the homunculus' torso made for a tempting target.

" _Avadaaa_ aah?!"

It teleported. The spell was a clumsy attempt at best, depositing the gigantic body of the Dragon several meters above Harry and giving him plenty of time to avoid being crushed, but that was to be expected. Neither Yamata no Orochi or Samael were known to teleport, so in all likelihood this was either of their first time doing it. Harry's money was on the homunculus. It had probably cast the spell with the intent to crush him in the first place, and its unfocused intent caused its magic to put its body at an appropriate height to accomplish said objective.

His analysis of how a Dragon the size of a small castle managed to transport itself several meters through time and space complete, Harry restarted his incantation once he was sure the slightly stunned monster wasn't about to try again. For the umpteenth time, he wished he could cast this particular spell silently, but the equivalent of muscle memory for magic kept it from being as effective if he did.

"Ahem. _Avada Kedavra!_ "

As the green-tinted spell sailed through the air, his magical energy pulsed once. Harry's eyes widened when he felt Sin break free from its restraints.

 _Aren't they beautiful? Make them yours…_ Lust.

The last cardinal sin assaulted his mind with memories of every woman he'd ever been with, along with everyone who tried to seduce him and was even marginally successful. The world faded away.

Harry was standing in a bedroom, the one he shared with his fiancé in her mansion. An illusion of Serafall, sitting on their bed devoid of clothing, spread her legs invitingly. She smiled at him and beckoned him closer. Her hair was tied in a single ponytail. As more of the room came into focus, Harry saw the scattered pieces of her magical girl uniform were the more enticing version she'd started wearing after they'd met for the second time.

"I'm waiting, Harry-kun~"

He took a single step forward, but stopped.

"This isn't real," he told himself. "I'm in a fight."

His bedroom melted away, but Serafall and the bed stayed. Harry now stood in his room in Yasaka's mansion. Joining his fiancé was the mansion's owner, similarly undressed. Just like a few days ago, Serafall was behind her once more. He turned around and found himself face-to-face with Kuroka, also nude.

"What's wrong, Harry-kun?" She pressed herself to his front. "Don't you love us? Isn't this why you finally accepted me?"

Another body pressed itself into his back. A strand of white hair fell across his chest and he realized he was suddenly naked as well. Koneko rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Me next?" she asked breathily.

Her appearance snapped Harry out of it. She wasn't the petite girl he had grown used to seeing for the past few years. Her body had returned to its original form, a near carbon-copy of her twin sister's.

"…Shiro." He shook his head and banished them both away from him. "This is wrong."

The illusion wavered.

He couldn't trust his eyes, but he couldn't close them. His body rebelled. Only his magic followed his commands. That was fine. He felt outwards and recognized hostile intent. He cast a teleportation spell on himself and was transported approximately ten meters into the air. Nothing moved, but he could vaguely sense some frustration and also surprise. Both morphed into hatred strong enough for him to pinpoint its source. One part of his mind told him his hands were empty, but another told him he held the instrument he needed to break free.

" **Dea-"**

His mouth was covered by Serafall.

"Are you going to leave me alone again, Harry?"

Everything faded to black. He was forced to look straight ahead. Augusta was standing there, dressed in the black robes she'd worn when they met in the woods.

"Are you going to replace me?"

A spear of energy, dodged by teleporting back to the ground. Another spear, but not directed at him. Barriers erected by two separate magical cores. Explosions. He strained his other senses, ignoring the feeling of Serafall behind him, her breath on his neck. A flare of magic. He was surrounded. He swapped places with the hatred-leaking entity. The other one seemed less inclined to kill him.

His previous wives. Various Hogwarts graduates. Ophis, in female form.

"Are you going to go back to them?"

Harry clenched his teeth. The small part of him that reminded him Ophis was a shape-shifter gave him enough awareness to throw the illusion for a moment. He saw Yamata no Orochi and the Samael homunculus, facing each other down. They turned to him as one and both threw their concepts at him. His vision was replaced by the void once more as he teleported behind the Quidditch stand next to him. More women appeared. Through it all, Serafall remained.

Now, it was Rias and Sona, only older. Grayfia and Tiamat. Gabriel and Griselda.

"Or maybe you like them more?"

He was trapped. He couldn't sense anything outside. Slowly, his field of view expanded. One by one, all of the women smiled at him. His lust was strangely absent. Serafall moved from her position and joined them. He noted he was wearing her old magical girl outfit. She looked as beautiful as ever.

"Wouldn't you like us all?"

She held her hand out and smiled. He smiled back.

" **DEATH!"**

Harry blinked. He looked down at the spear impaled in his chest. The homunculus holding it laughed in his face. The two of them were standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch. The twitching body of Yamata no Orochi lay around them, its eight heads splayed across the ground. A glimpse of its soul told Harry the Dragon was still alive, but greatly weakened.

"I win, Master of Death."

He turned forward. The homunculus had a gloating expression.

"…Win?"

"You were a fool to think you could overcome the temptation," it said arrogantly. "You're just a human, and all humans are fatally flawed. None could hope to resist Sin, that which doomed your race to begin with."

It smiled wider at Harry's silence, assuming he was in shock. It twisted the spear and drove it deeper.

"Now, you have fallen victim to the same fate as your ancestors. And the magic of Death belongs to me." It pulled the Elder Wand from Harry's hands. "I wonder what I should do with it first. Ah, I know! I'll send you off as you deserve. After all, even if your reign was brief, you were its 'Master' for a brief time. It's a shame I won't be able to bring your soul back, but I suppose sacrifices have to be made. I'll content myself with the souls of your friends and lovers."

It cackled maniacally, its voice noticeably different from its previously hate-filled tone. The homunculus pressed the point of the Elder Wand to Harry's chest, next to the spear.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter. I command, Death!"

Nothing happened.

"Hrm? What, is it broken? I said, 'Death'!"

The homunculus jabbed the stick into Harry's chest repeatedly.

"Death! Death, Death, Death, Death, Death! Why won't you die? I demand DEATH!"

Finally, the Wizard smirked, unseen by his enemy. He acted, his movements lightning fast. One hand gripped the solid spear of energy and pulled his body forward along the length. The homunculus was surprised long enough for him to impale it in the chest with his other hand.

"Wh…whaaa…t?"

" _Expelliarmus. Obliviate."_

The Elder Wand swapped hands. Harry's concentration wavered from the pain and the magic of Sin. Thank Merlin for countless hours of practice and his magical muscle memory. Thank the Elder Wand for not needing wand movements and having its own magical core. Also for being the only wand in existence able to shoot magic from both ends.

"Eh?"

"I'm coming for you, Rizevim."

Without further ado, he ripped the broken soul of Samael out. The magic allowing the leader of the Old Satan Faction to channel his consciousness into the homunculus dissipated. The corpse disintegrated into dust. Harry took control of the spear and absorbed it to accelerate his healing. His shaky stance became more firm. He turned and walked to one of the heads of the Venom Blood Dragon laying nearby.

"Your turn."

"…You are not what you seem."

Harry stopped at the hissing.

"You're…?"

"Look into our soul, and tell us if we lie, 'Master of Death'. We have no quarrel with you."

The Elder Wand remained pointed at the center of the Dragon's chest. The Wizard idly noted the Dragon spoke similarly to Yasaka, except it clearly wasn't using the royal pronoun.

"You're an Evil Dragon."

"How long have you lived, and yet you still believe in such labels?"

The Dragon's hissing was weak. It didn't even bother to lift its head. Harry could tell its energy was recovering slowly, but his own regenerated much more quickly in this dimension, supplemented as it was by raw magic. He had nothing to fear from the large serpent. It couldn't escape, and the magical link with the real world had vanished with the destruction of the homunculus.

"Are you saying the myths are wrong?"

"No, but we would suggest you are misinformed."

The two of them regarded each other. Harry indicated for Yamata no Orochi to continue.

"For all your years, you are young. You think yourself merciful and understanding, but you are bound by your morals," it hissed. "Power is all that matters. You hold more of it over us. Soon, we will descend into madness, as is the fate of all Dragons who gain enough of it. We were born this way."

"Apocalypse suggests otherwise," Harry countered. "And you aren't making a convincing case for yourself."

"Our madness is a result of a desire to gain more power. Personal power and power over others. Apocalypse occupies itself in an endless void of limitless energy, where it grows ever stronger."

"Remind me why I'm not killing or sealing you?"

"We know you have other options. Would you condemn us for our very nature?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. The Dragon was counting on his morals. He grudgingly admitted it was on to something. Then again, he could still be a little disoriented from Sin. The mass of energy in the hand not holding the Elder Wand drew his attention. He had rejoined the soul fragment inside him with the rest of it earlier. With a thought, it was condensed into the size of a pebble and sealed inside a glass vial. Moments later, the vial was transported to a secure room underneath the fake Hogwarts, even further below the underground dungeons that currently held both Euclid and the Valkyrie.

Yamata no Orochi waited patiently. Its eight heads rose into the air to all stare at Harry, who met eyes with each of them one at a time. His soul-searching ability told him what the Dragon wanted, but he wasn't convinced.

"You obviously have something in mind."

"We are vastly more powerful than your current familiar."

"Denied. I can't have a known Evil Dragon working for me. And I'm not setting you free. You told me yourself you'll go crazy sooner or later."

"Rumor has it you count Infinity as a friend."

In an instant, the Elder Wand was pointed back at the Dragon's chest again. The only reason he hadn't tried to kill it was because he knew where the conversation was headed.

"You don't scare us, Harry Potter," it hissed. "If you are what we think you are, you already know what we want. That you have not acted to end us further reinforces our suspicions. Tell us what we must do to satisfy your morals."

"…A binding magical oath. Agree to swear one. Swear it on your concept."

Eight heads smiled eerily at him. The hissing resembled laughter.

"A pleasure, Master."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So mote it be."

Harry shuddered as the flash of light signifying the activation of the oath faded away. Something about Yamata no Orochi's hissing was unnerving, even when it wasn't directed at him.

"So? Where are we to stay?" the Venom Blood Dragon asked.

"Can you draw power from the Dimensional Gap?"

"Unfortunately, no. If all Dragons were capable of such, we'd travel there and find ourselves killed in short order anyhow. Such a convenient solution to all our problems would be too much to ask for."

Harry thought it strange that the Dragon apparently felt nothing for its brethren and cared not for itself dying in pursuit of power, but attributed it to a simple difference in mentalities.

"But is it dangerous to you?"

"The Gap? No. We are magically resistant to its properties and could survive there comfortably if not for its other occupants."

"I'll hide you."

"Nothing could possibly hide us forever."

"I have something in mind. And you only need to stay there until I find a better place for you."

It would be a short-term sacrifice with long-term payoffs. Possibly sooner if he could find another place in time. It would also delay his plans with Serafall, but he could substitute the wand for the cloak if necessary. Not having access to his conceptual magic might be a little bit of an issue if he ran into another concept-user, but in an emergency, he could potentially delay anyone until the literal end of time. He also had one other alternative he could turn to, but that was the last resort of last resorts.

"You seem to have made up your mind. We are waiting. Where is this other familiar of yours?"

Harry sighed.

"Malfoy. C'mere."

The little snake popped into existence on his shoulder. The Evil Dragon recoiled and rammed into one of the stands. It hissed incoherently as its eight heads all waved through the air to look its comically-smaller counterpart. Harry smirked.

"Infinity?"

"No, just a piece of him."

"'Him'?"

He frowned.

"This again? How long has Ophis been female?"

"As far as we are aware, she has never been anything but."

He blinked. Twice. Was it possible? The snake on his shoulder sat there silently and obediently as its master carefully thought about his previous assumptions.

"Is Ophis not a shape-shifter?" Harry asked.

"She is," Yamata no Orochi replied. "But she has never taken a non-female form. In fact, we recall a period of time in which she changed her appearances regularly. All of them were what the other races would have called attractive. She has always been on overly curious individual."

"That… sounds like… her."

"We believe it was when she learned about the non-magical concept of modern beauty," the Dragon added.

"How long ago was this?"

"We were sealed until recently, but… thousands of years ago?"

Harry deadpanned at the creature.

"How does that qualify as 'modern beauty'?"

"Time is relative. We thought it strange at the time, but she wore clothes none others wore. It is only recently that we are able to identify matching examples among humans."

"She… wore clothes from today, thousands of years ago?"

Ophis, the Dragon God, wielder of Infinity, identified itself as female for as long as an Evil Dragon could remember, and was thousands of years ahead of her time in terms of fashion? Were there two Ophises? Was Harry actually in an alternate universe? Suddenly, the thought of the Dragon leading the Khaos Brigade didn't seem as far-fetched.

"What faction were you a part of, in the Khaos Brigade?"

"You tell us. You can read our thoughts, can you not?"

"Humor me."

Eight heads sighed in unison, the sound somehow the same despite coming from snake-like mouths and throats.

"As far as we know, we were not part of a formal faction. We do not remember anything of the other factions, either. If you had to classify us, we would fall under the leadership of the person who controlled the homunculus of the Dragon Eater, Samael."

"And as far as you know, Ophis leads the organization as a whole?"

"It is what we were told, and it was confirmed by multiple unrelated sources within the organization, if you could call it that."

Harry resolved to ask Vali more when he saw him next. Too many things didn't match up. He initially thought the world was a carbon-copy of his old one, but if an entity like Ophis, who should have survived the end of the world just like he did, was different, then that assumption was possibly wrong. What if the End wasn't the same? What if the seal didn't even exist? It wasn't like he had been able to check.

Wait. Vali wouldn't have all the answers he wanted or needed. The teenager already told him he wasn't exactly high up in the Khaos Brigade even though he had access to its leader. Ophis only met with him because he housed a fellow Dragon in his Sacred Gear. Albion might know more, but Harry would have to consult a much older source for information. As much as he would prefer to ask Apocalypse itself, their last meeting had ended poorly, and fighting the Great Red in the Dimensional Gap was an exercise in futility. Transporting it elsewhere was similarly impossible since its existence was anchored there. Besides, its magic was volatile and dangerous. No, questioning Apocalpyse was not an option.

With Ophis and the End out of reach, that didn't leave many other living entities that should have survived. The Satans and the Biblical God were dead, their souls out of his reach for different reasons. Azazel might have been the longest-serving leader of one of the Three Factions, but his power was below even Sirzechs'. The Hindu deities were unlikely to respond even if Harry gained an audience. Ditto for the other pantheons. Harry paused in his thoughts.

"Yamata no Orochi. When the world ended, did you feel anything?"

"No. If such an event indeed occurred, we were not aware. None of the other Dragons, save for perhaps Infinity and Apocalypse, would have either. That you speak of it so casually only reinforces our opinion of your true nature."

"Just making sure."

The other pantheons. Harry had two options there, both conveniently located in Europe. He didn't know of any extremely powerful Norse Gods with concepts, but he knew Odin led them. The Valkyrie sealed in the basement of Hogwarts would surely be missed. Alternatively, Harry had just spoken to Hades. They weren't on the friendliest of terms, but something as important as the potential end of the world had to be worth something. He could also use Samael's soul as a bargaining chip.

"Are you satisfied, Harry Potter? We are still recovering, and would prefer to do so outside of this… place."

Harry shook himself from his thoughts. Malfoy turned to look at him.

"Right. Wait here," he said distractedly. The snake slithered to the ground where it began a staring contest with the eight heads of Yamata no Orochi.

The Wizard chained two teleportation spells to move from his pocket dimension back into the real world where it was anchored then from the real world to a random spot in the Dimensional Gap he was sure was empty. Once there, he created a containment bubble big enough for its future occupant to move around without immediately running into it, draining a good portion of his restored reserves. They refilled instantly from the raw magic coursing through the realm, causing Harry to sigh in relief. He considered fighting here from now on, but he then remembered his dispute with the Great Red and reconsidered.

Next, he laid several powerful concealment charms on the space. He also layered strengthening enchantments on the bubble itself. He cast an autonomous movement spell on the entire space after transferring it somewhere else in the Dimensional Gap to keep the entity he could sense heading towards its original position from finding it by accident. The bubble would avoid the Great Red and move away from spatial distortions that signaled the arrival of anyone or anything else. As a finishing touch, Harry drew the Elder Wand.

" _Fidelius_."

He tied the spell to the realm so that it wouldn't need to be refueled. It wasn't perfect, but it would hold for a while. The Great Red would find it eventually regardless, as it did everything that intruded on its home. If it couldn't pinpoint it, the Dragon had the tendency to rampage until it was sure it was alone. The magic of Apocalypse also naturally eroded other magic, so it was only a matter of time until all of Harry's measures failed.

Thus satisfied, Harry transitioned from the Gap directly to his pocket dimension, anchoring it to the other realm. Yamata no Orochi looked at him expectantly. His first familiar reclaimed its position on his shoulder.

"Let's go."

He put his hand on the Dragon's belly. A moment later, they were floating in the void. The Dragon wandered around and poked experimentally at the walls of its new temporary living space. They stretched like rubber, but snapped back into place after a while. Eight heads looked to where Harry was floating.

"We see… Yes, this will suit us fine for now. You realize, of course, that this will not last long?"

"It's just for a week at most," he assured. "I'll be back with the actual thing I'll be using to hide you. If we're lucky, I'll find another place, but I wouldn't count on it. Malfoy will alert me if anything happens."

The snake floated off his shoulder and resettled on one of its much larger counterpart's heads. The Venom Blood Dragon watched it with seven other pairs of eyes before sighing and leaving it alone.

"Very well. We will await your summoning."

Yamata no Orochi turned its heads away and promptly disregarded him. Harry sighed tiredly even though he didn't really feel it anymore. His reserves had been topped off by the raw magic of the Dimensional Gap, his magic naturally restoring his physical and mental stamina as well. He transported himself back into Kyoto, standing in the same place he stood in when he first went into his pocket dimension.

Augusta plopped the Sorting Hat back onto his head.

"How did you…?"

" _Welcome back, Master. Is now a good time?"_ the Hat interrupted him.

"Have you two been waiting here the entire time for me to come back?"

" _We assisted your fiancé. We have only been here since hostilities ended about an hour ago."_

He looked to Augusta. She smiled and waved. He waved back and nodded in gratitude. She beamed and threw herself at him in a hug. He fought to suppress his instinctive reaction to having one of the subjects of his run-in with Sin in such close proximity. The spirit woman must have noticed his stiff posture, because she pulled away and looked at him with her head tilted.

"…It's nothing, Augusta." Harry rested a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. She began smiling widely again and puffed her chest out proudly. He gave her head one last pat and looked around himself. The district was deserted. Most of the buildings were little more than rubble, having been victims of the initial fusion of Yamata no Orochi and the homunculus of Samael. The rest of the city was similarly deserted, if in much better condition.

If the Hyakki Yakou was on course, most of the Youkai and civilians would be well on their way to Tokyo by now, which explained the general lack of life. He couldn't see any armored homunculi anywhere, so presumably they had been cleared away or they had disintegrated like their leader. He searched for the defenders that should have been left behind.

" _Miss Leviathan is in a meeting with Miss Yasaka. I believe Miss Sitri and her bodyguards are also in the central ward."_

"Ah. Thanks." Harry began walking. Augusta fell into step beside him, skipping cheerfully.

" _Master, do you have time now?"_

"Time for what?"

" _You told me to wait unless it affects your immediate plans. I have judged that this information is likely to affect said plans."_

He stopped walking.

"Hat…"

" _Euclid Lucifuge was constantly communicating with another party. I believe it was his master."_

Oh, was that all?

" _Augusta and I believe he has entered into a familiar contract of sorts, or some sort of servitude bond with the man known as Rizevim Livan Lucifer. It resembles the bond you have with two others that neither of us recognizes."_

"Two of my bonds?"

" _Ah, now that you are actively thinking about your bonds, I can pinpoint the knowledge. Mister Lucifuge is a member of Mister Lucifer's Peerage."_

"You said the bond was similar to mine. Read my thoughts about the types of Pieces."

"… _Yes, we believe the Piece inside of him closely resembles the Tyrant Pieces you use. However, I am also sure it is not quite the same. I would need to see it again to confirm if the properties are similar."_

"How come I didn't see anything while I fought him?"

" _Your so-called 'mage sight' differs from conventional soul sight as a result of your concept. You do not see what others, such as Youkai or Augusta, would. The Piece blocked your sight and allowed you to see its master immediately. In all likelihood, you were unable to notice its presence since it dominated Mister Lucifuge's soul."_

Harry was too obsessed with the implications to complain about the Hat casually discussing his conceptual magic. If the Khaos Brigade had access to Pieces that functioned like Tyrant Pieces, they were exponentially more dangerous. By enslaving others, they could potentially make themselves infinitely more powerful. With the literal power of Infinity on their side, that was not a prospect he liked. He thought back to the battle.

"Wait, was it damaged by my spell?"

" _Possibly. Again, it would probably be best if you checked."_

Harry frowned once more. He didn't want to delay his meeting with the defenders even more, but this was important. He put a hand to his Time-Turner. This time, Augusta and the Hat followed him, and the three of them appeared in the dungeons of the replica Hogwarts. In front of them, lying on the floor in the cell, the body of Euclid Lucifuge was curled up in a fetal position. His regal clothing was in disrepair.

Harry's eyes widened. Mage sight confirmed his suspicions before he even opened the door.

"…Dead."

Augusta pulled on his arm urgently.

" _Master, the Valkyrie!"_

He abandoned his examination of Euclid and turned around. In the cell across from the Devil, Harry saw the grey-haired Valkyrie covered in black wisps of energy. She was still in stasis, held there by the enchanted Sword of Gryffindor. The glowing runes held the darkness back.

" _You should thank the Phenix Clan sometime."_

 _Later._

Harry walked over to her cell. In the entire dimension, only the interior of Hogwarts was free from the magic of his special Time-Turner, which was convenient because it meant the replica castle reacted to his unspoken commands. The cell door swung open of its own accord, the occupant floating out. The cloud of darkness tried to follow her, but was repelled by Harry. August was mildly peeved she couldn't affect it.

He looked at the cloud, made of individual wisps that scattered on the wind when faced with the magic of Death emanating from the Elder Wand. His mage sight told him frustratingly little about them, only able to identify its source as the "dead" Piece in the adjacent cell, still bonded with Euclid.

" _It's definitely not a Tyrant Piece."_

"What can you tell me about it?"

" _The Piece absorbs the magical energy its host's core. After the process completes, the energy is converted into… something else and transferred to the… King of the Peerage."_

Harry summoned the vial of Samael's soul to him. The black wisps immediately swarmed it and were sealed into a separate vial. More wisps came out of Euclid's body and were similarly sealed away. After a few seconds, they formed into a chess piece. Harry examined the solid black Bishop. It gave off a sinister feeling to his magical senses, and his mage sight only told him it used to belong to one Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Idly, he wondered why they ignored the soul of the woman nearby.

" _Well, your assumptions aren't quite correct there."_

Augusta poked at one of the vials and was surprised when she was able to touch it. Considering Harry had made them with the ghosts of Hogwarts and other souls in mind, it was only natural. She snatched both from his grip and marveled at the small containers. Her attention was grabbed by a case of them that Harry teleported next to her. He let her play with them and juggle them around as he retrieved the two that actually held important things.

"I've been meaning to ask this, but why can't she talk? I can communicate with souls just fine, but I can't read hers or hear her when she speaks with you."

She stopped, dropping all of the vials. Harry winced slightly as they all bounced off of the ground unharmed. He knew he had enchanted them to make them ultra-resistant to breaking, but the sound of glass hitting the stone floor still unnerved him. Augusta ignored it and ran up to him with both hands clasped as if praying. The smile on her face ruined the image though.

" _Most likely part of the Biblical God's machinations to prevent one with your powers from gaining access to his tools."_

"You mean…?"

" _Yes. Dear Augusta possesses a Sacred Gear. It only bonded to her on her deathbed."_

"What?"

Sacred Gears didn't work that way. It would defeat the purpose of their growth to bond with a dead or dying soul unless it had the power to reverse the phenomenon. Twilight Healing was in Asia's hands. The most famous healing Gear, the Sephiroth Graal, was with the vampires.

" _Hers is related, although it cannot heal. Rather, your knowledge is correct. Except, there were three Gears created in their 'final forms', so to speak."_

Harry's mouth fell open as purple flames manifested around Augusta.

" _We are both projections of the Gear. That is why she cannot communicate with you. In truth, I am still seated on her head back in Great Britain. Her body is being preserved in stasis by her organization. I surmise that my ability to communicate with you is due to our bond. We were initially unsure if it would work."_

For the second time, Harry Potter stared at Augusta with the Sorting Hat on his head, completely speechless. His mind whirled through possibilities but came up blank. The two of them weren't here? Great Britain was almost ten thousand kilometers away! Over five thousand miles! How had they even found him?

" _It was her dying wish,"_ the Hat explained. _Her organization appealed to the Magician's Council, the leader of which accepted the request to search for you. He contacted us about a week or so ago and told us you were expected to be in Kyoto. We simply waited in the city for a sign of your presence."_

Her organization? They got Mephisto, of all people, to help? The Devil was practically famous for his neutrality. He refused to enter into contracts no matter how powerful the other party. His pact with Lord Orion and Harry was the talk of the century among Devils, never mind how the Magician community took it. Just who was Augusta, for her to be important enough for him to lend his aid?

" _I'm glad you finally asked, Master."_

The Hat cleared its throat theatrically.

" _Please, allow me to introduce… the founder of the Hexennacht Order of Magicians and wielder of Incinerate Anthem, the Holy Cross, Augusta Greyback. Incidentally, as you are listed as the co-founder of the Order, you became its de facto leader after she was killed."_

The Wizard wished he were capable of fainting.

" _Fainting would be incredibly counterproductive, Lord Potter."_

"…Don't… call me that…"

Augusta giggled silently.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Excuse me?"

"I apologize, Sitri-san, but Leviathan-sama is not taking visitors at this time. Please return to your room."

Fenrir sighed as his ward predictably became angry. Tensions were high after supposed allies turned on each other. Everyone was unsettled. Regardless, the Tengu guard standing in front of the sliding door leading to Serafall and Harry's room was steadfast in his duties.

"I'm her sister!" Sona protested. "Yasaka-sama declared the end of hostilities an hour ago!"

"With respect, Sitri-san, Yasaka-sama ordered a cessation of hostilities. We are still on guard. Familial status is unfortunately not enough to bypass direct orders from one of the Four Great Satans. Again, please return to your room."

In the werewolf's opinion, the guard didn't seem particularly apologetic or respectful. In his defense, he had probably been standing there since all of Kyoto's remaining forces were recalled. The only defenders who had been given leave were those gravely injured at some point during the invasion. Some even refused.

Fenrir shuddered and frowned as he remembered the past hour and a half. He was under no illusions. His resistance to the initial madness spell cast at the very beginning of the invasion had been bypassed completely. If it wasn't for the gift from the Master of Death, he would have been completely enthralled. He couldn't help but wonder if that might have been preferable to having to fight his pack mates. Without the help of the female Devil he was supposed to be protecting, he would have had to gravely injure or outright kill them, or, more likely, given up his own life for theirs.

As pack leader, he knew what his choice would have been.

Not that it had mattered much in the end. Every one of them was badly injured, though only four of the roughly two dozen he had come here with had died. Three of the dead werewolves were victims of the armored homunculi before madness had even claimed the city.

Soon after the Night Parade started, Fenrir lost control. His ward had succumbed before him, so he never targeted her, but moments later, both regained their senses and found themselves surrounded by hostiles. Five minutes of desperate fighting culminated in them being cornered in an alley. Then, the Satan Leviathan had swooped in and saved them, teleporting all of them to Yasaka's estate. Fenrir's trepidation at being right under the nose of what could be the most dangerous enemy in the city was alleviated when it was revealed that she, too, had been restored by the magic of the Master of Death. More accurately, the leader of the Youkai was kept sane by the small bundle of cloth she held like a lifeline.

She couldn't transform into her nine-tailed fox form, and the ley lines were tainted, but in her estate, they were all relatively safe from the chaos outside. No matter how hard the Youkai and their allies tried, the wards surrounding Yasaka Shrine were nigh-impenetrable and fueled by the ley lines. Their taint did not affect their efficacy as a fuel source for non-sentient spells. With the giant eight-headed snake and its accompanying Blue Dragon gone, Fenrir, Sona, Serafall, and Yasaka could have weathered the siege for as long as was needed. With the leader of the East Faction, the majority of the non-Tengu Youkai, and all of the civilians out of reach, there was initially no reason for them to leave.

Of course, things were never that simple. Different people had different levels of resistance to the madness. That, or people were being selectively released to add to the body count. Unable to watch her people tear each other apart, Yasaka ventured out on her own. Serafall followed her. Fenrir stopped Sona, stating the situation was well beyond their ability to contribute positively to. She grudgingly agreed.

That was when one his pack mates had come to her senses in the plaza. He had leapt out of the safe zone without hesitation before his companion could stop him, and had been swarmed. He was forced to watch as one of his closest friends was killed. He was knocked unconscious in short order. When he came to almost an hour later, a paper ceiling above him, it was all over.

Sona's reaction to Fenrir's sudden charge was swift, but not fast enough. She had spotted the woman looking around her in confusion a split second after he had and correctly predicted her werewolf bodyguard would act to save her. She wanted to do the same, but she saw how everyone else in the plaza had turned towards the lone woman. Her premonition came true as the werewolf woman was killed by a spear through her chest in seconds.

Fenrir's desperate attempt was stymied moments after he left the wards. He was battered and beaten by his fellow werewolves and at least ten separate Tengu. When he fell to the ground, unmoving, Sona feared the worst. The rest of the crowd stopped attacking him. It was like he didn't exist, like all of the other corpses littering the plaza and adjacent streets. She cast a spell on his body and pulled him into the wards, only discovering his continued breathing after he had passed through them.

The rest of the invasion was spent caring for him in a spare room as Serafall and Yasaka periodically returned with other survivors released from the spell controlling most of Kyoto. At some point, she thought she saw Kuroka and a white-haired version of her bouncing around too. Eventually, she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. When she woke up, she was told by Fenrir, standing nearby, that the invasion had ended. The spell had been seemingly nullified almost an hour ago. Her first act after standing up was to search for her sister.

The stoic Tengu guard barring her way remained unflappable in the face of her mounting fury. Fenrir sighed once more and stepped forward, putting a hand on Sona's shoulder. She turned her glare on him, but he waved it off and addressed the Tengu.

"She's not there, is she?"

Sona blinked.

"C'mon, let's go."

"Wha-?"

"Shh."

Being shushed like a child by anyone other than her older siblings was normally one of the few surefire ways to invoke her wrath, but her anger abated when he began pushing her down a different hallway. Fox fire embers floated around them idly, but they didn't do anything except hover. Fenrir stopped at the entrance to the estate. Sona blinked in confusion. They hadn't been heading towards the entrance as far as she knew.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Werewolf," he answered simply. "You want to see your sister? Follow me. Just don't blame me for what happens."

She didn't know what he meant by his warning, but he didn't give her any time to think about it, breaking into a brisk walk. She quickly went after him. They made more turns than Sona could remember. Again, she suspected magic. How Fenrir was able to navigate the hallways on his own, she wasn't sure. She didn't even know how he was able to track her sister's scent. She asked him.

"I'm not. I don't know what she smells like anyway."

"What?"

"She's wearing the Master of Death's ring. It's like a beacon to my senses. Not even the wards can hide something like that from me."

Sona wanted to ask him why Harry's ring stood out to his senses, but they stopped in front of a doorway before she could.

"We're here," he announced. He sniffed the door a couple of times. "Warded. But you'll get in fine."

"How do you-?"

"Don't ask. You don't get to. Not yet. Remember, don't blame me."

Fenrir crossed his arms briefly. He then clicked his tongue and left.

"If you want to go back to the entrance, just walk around randomly. You'll get there," he called back over his shoulder.

Sona bit back her retort and any choice insults her mind came up with. In the end, he was the one who had taken her here at her selfish request. It would be extremely discourteous of her to return his favor in that way. She promised to thank him later, no matter how much his attitude pissed her off.

She turned to the door and grabbed a hold of it. She opened it and came face-to-face with someone she wasn't expecting.

"Nii-san?"

"Sorry So-tan. We'll talk later."

Her world faded to black.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Was that really necessary, Harry-kun? We could have done this later."

Harry turned around after knocking Sona out and left her in the hallway. One of the Tengu was already on his way to take her back to her room. The door closed by itself behind him.

"We could. But I've been in over a dozen relationships. Prior experience tells me it's better to get this stuff out of the way as soon as possible."

"We've technically known each other for decades, Harry. Is that your definition of 'as soon as possible'?" Serafall asked teasingly.

Harry winced.

"Well… you're a special case…"

"Uh huh. I'm sure you said that to all your future wives."

He winced again. Their bedroom was well-lit. Serafall was wearing her combat magical girl uniform, minus her jacket, shirt, and frilly skirt. In other words, she was basically in her lingerie. Harry didn't even bother trying to look away. He knew she appreciated it from the way she kept uncrossing and re-crossing her legs as she sat on the edge of their bed. The scene reminded him of his visions of lust, but he didn't care. He was allowed to fantasize about her. He had also discarded his combat jacket, shirt, and jeans, leaving him in his boxers.

"Sera, I love you. I mean it."

"Mm… I love you too, Harry-kun!"

Her bright and chipper tone was the same as always. All that was missing was the tackle-hug and subsequent lip-lock when he usually told her he loved her in private. He sighed.

"So, how much do you remember now?"

"I think I got it all!"

Harry blinked.

"All of it? Really? I find that kind of hard to believe…"

Serafall pouted at him. The stone in the ring on her finger blocked his mage sight, just like the rest of the Deathly Hallows did, so he couldn't tell if she was actually telling the truth or not. The stone itself was silent.

"I did!" she exclaimed. "I totally did! I even remember our first time!"

Harry blushed.

"Ugh… that… _was_ pretty early…"

"Technically the first date!" she said unashamedly.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. His action caused her to tilt her head.

"You used to wear glasses."

He looked up and met her eyes. She looked cute like that. She looked cute all the damn time. No wonder he had to discourage so many other jerks from going after her.

"I used to need them. Then I got a cosmetic pair for old times' sake after my eyes got better. Eventually, they got broken and I was too lazy to buy another pair."

"I like your eyes."

"I like yours too, Sera."

She beamed at him. And there was the tackle-hug. Still a no-go on the kiss though. Too bad, he liked her kisses. He'd never admit it to her, but he secretly loved her lack of shame when it applied to their private activities. He hugged her back.

"So, do you really remember everything, or are you just saying that?"

And there was the kiss. Strange timing. Wait, why did his face feel wet?

"Sera?"

He pulled back. She was crying. He had made her cry. He… had made her cry. Harry was conflicted. He couldn't kill himself. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she put her finger on his lips. The index finger of her left hand. His eyes traced her hand until he saw the ring. The stone was gone.

Immediately, he looked for it. He didn't have to look far. There it was, sitting innocently in upturned palm of her other hand. Serafall smiled at him. Inviting him to look at her. Telling him she had nothing to hide. He didn't have to.

"I forgive you, Harry. And… I love you anyway. My answer hasn't changed."

"Sera… I…"

"Shh…"

She drew him back into the hug. The two of them fell onto their bed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. You couldn't have known."

"But I-"

"You did what you thought was right. I don't blame you. Nobody blames you. It's not your fault."

Neither of them said anything for several minutes. They just lay on the bed silently. Harry had closed his eyes after Serafall began to run her hand through his air. The Resurrection Stone glowed softly. Eventually, Harry opened his eyes.

"Will you marry me, Serafall Sitri?"

"Yes. Of course, Harry Potter."

He nodded and kissed her. She returned it enthusiastically. Then he continued.

"I'm going to die, Sera."

"Not if I can help it."

"I won't let you stop me. It needs to happen."

She got on top of him. She supported herself on both arms as she looked into his eyes.

"Then I'm going to drag you back from the dead and make sure you never leave me again"

"What if the world ends?"

"I won't let the End stop me from being with you. We'll find a way. Together."

She pressed her forehead to his.

"Do you remember what you asked me when I wanted to be your Queen?"

"…I asked if death was worth it."

"Capital 'D'?"

Harry didn't answer.

"Mm. Well, I'd rather be dead than be apart from you. Does that count?"

"I won't let you die, Sera."

"Then make me your Queen."

He looked at her.

"You're not ready."

"Your magic says otherwise."

Harry's eyes widened, but he chuckled.

"That's right… I did tell you, didn't I…?"

"So? What's it gonna be, Master of Death, Hogwarts, and probably like fifty other things besides?"

"Please don't make that my new title."

"If I threaten to do it, will you make me your Queen?"

He sighed. She obviously wasn't going to budge. And his flimsy excuse wouldn't work anymore. What was he even waiting for at this point? It only took one thought, and the black and white Piece appeared, floated above them both. It settled on Serafall's back. To his surprise, the Resurrection Stone began glowing brighter. He smiled when he received its message. His things came up with good ideas sometimes.

"I, Harry Potter, take you, Serafall Sitri, to be my wife and Queen."

He felt her tense in his arms.

"H-Harry?"

"I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."

"Harry, wait. I, uh. I'm not ready. I wasn't ready! I thought I was ready, but I'm not ready!"

He smiled wider at her flustered state.

"Do you, Serafall Sitri, take me to be your husband and King? Do you promise to be faithful to me, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love me and to honor me all the days of your life?"

"I, uh. I… Uhhhhh…"

"Well, Sera?"

She pouted at him and pounded on his chest ineffectively.

"That's not fair! We were supposed to get married in a big ceremony. It was next week! You're cheating! Why do you have to do stuff like this! Wh-why do you have to do this to me…?"

She slumped down on his chest. He relented.

"We can still have the ceremony, Sera. Just think of this as our official, official engagement."

She giggled wetly through her tears.

"Y-you mean our third engagement? Our official, official, _official_ engagement?"

"Sure, let's go with that."

Serafall wiped her eyes.

"On one condition!"

Harry blinked.

"Uhh, okay. What is it?"

"I demand two wedding nights!"

Cue deadpan.

"Really, Sera?"

"Hey! You have at least two missed weddings to make up for! You owe me! Oh, and two honeymoons!"

"Careful, Sera. I might get cold feet at this rate."

"No take-backs!" she said as she snatched the Piece from the air in an amazing display of flexibility. In the same motion, she tore her bra off. Pressing the Piece in between her exposed cleavage, the next articles of clothing to go were the ones covering their lower bodies. She used a spell to teleport the underwear onto the bedroom floor. She left her stockings on. She smiled at him seductively.

"You do remember what happens when someone bonds with a Piece, right?" Harry asked as more of an afterthought. He wasn't really opposed to it in the first place. He was just still feeling emotional. In the end, his emotions were forcibly stowed by a different part of his body.

"That just means you get to do all the work, and I get to have all the fun!"

"You evil, evil woman."

He paused just long enough to activate the bonding process. He watched as the Piece sank into her chest as he sank into her. She sighed contentedly and slowly lay down on top of him. This was nice.

"So… can I get you to copy yourself?"

So much for a romantic wedding night. He bopped her on the head lightly. She couldn't rub it as usual, so he did it for her. She sighed happily again.

"Is that a yes?"

"No," he replied firmly.

"Aww. I'll convince you someday."

"No, you won't. I'd sooner get a harem."

"Deal!"

"Wait, no. That's not what I meant!"

"No take-backs!"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

No lemons, sorry. This is the closest we'll ever get. Probably.

The original name of this chapter was Confession, way back when this story was first posted. It was also going to be the last chapter of the arc. Back then, the arc's name was just Confession too. But then stuff happened. The Penance part of the arc came into play after we thought about how we wanted to end the story. Fun facts.

Arc-ending chapters don't get previews.


	26. CP7of7 Ch20 - Immemorial

**Chapter 20 – Immemorial**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc, Part Seven of Seven)**

* * *

 _When he woke up, it was in a world of white. His first thought was that he'd failed. His second was that if he had, he wouldn't have been able to think either of these things._

 _Harry sat up slowly. It was weird to feel a solid surface where none supposedly existed, at least according to all of his other senses. He stood and examined himself. He was in his younger body again, which was concerning since he should have been approaching forty last he remembered. Did the ritual somehow fail and cause Time to reset anyway? If so, where was he now? Usually he'd wake up on his eighteenth birthday, but this wasn't the Burrow._

 _He returned to his self-examination. Other than having de-aged once more, his hair was back to being short, the skin on his forehead felt a bit tight from the Horcrux scar that used to sit there, and he had none of his possessions with him. If today truly was the day of his eighteenth birthday, he would have found all three of the Deathly Hallows beside him when he woke, as he did every year. He also wasn't wearing anything at all. While this was mildly concerning for a different reason, as far as he could tell, nobody else was around. Much more worrisome was the fact that he couldn't sense any magic in the surroundings. Minor panic set in as he frantically drew on his reserves. It abated when the familiar rush of energy answered his call._

 _Only, it was more of a flood. It threatened to overflow at any moment. It was more than Harry knew what to do with, more than he felt safe channeling. It was like being on the world's biggest sugar high while restrained in an asylum straitjacket and stuck to the ground with industrial strength adhesives. His body refused to obey. His eyes looked around for help or inspiration and found none in the featureless void. Honestly, he was a little tired of looking at white._

 _The world gained color. Lots of it. Every color he could remember ever seeing in every hue imaginable and several shades he had no recollection of was splashed haphazardly across the backdrop that was the surrounding environment, infinitely far away yet seeming close enough for him to reach out and smear the different colors together. He almost wished it were white again… but he had learned his lesson. No more random thoughts while supercharged with magical energy._

 _His mind cleared, and his focus sharpened to a point. He needed to unload the energy coursing through him before it damaged his core. The easiest way to do so was to use it somehow, since expelling it all at once was even more likely to cause irreparable damage. Conjuration was one of the most energy-intensive types of magic. Without wasting another moment, Harry conjured a copy of his old mansion in Scotland, complete with the land it stood on and the furniture within._

 _It wasn't enough. Not even close._

 _He vanished it and conjured a copy of Hogwarts Castle, along with its surrounding grounds. He conjured the Quidditch pitch with its stands and hoops, the Black Lake with the various rocks at the bottom, and the Forbidden Forest with every single tree he could recall. He even conjured the railroad tracks and a copy of the Hogwarts Express, complete with all of its compartments and cars. When he was finished, Harry stood in front of the gates to the castle, which opened its doors to reveal the Great Hall with the banners of the four Houses and the tables prepped as if accepting the next class that would never come._

 _It still wasn't enough._

 _He vanished it all and concentrated on his accumulated knowledge of geography. Centuries stuck in an endless time loop left him with plenty of time to study every country in existence, and even some that had been lost to the pages of history. He could name them, their capitals, their most popular tourist and archaeological destinations, and point all of these things out on a map with a margin of error within a couple of kilometers. With that knowledge, he conjured a copy of the entire Planet Earth, down to the tiniest detail his hyper-focused mind could specify. He lost consciousness before he finished the task._

 _Harry blinked himself awake again. The world was white once more. It took him several seconds to remember what he had been doing. When he did, he resisted the violent urge to smack his head into a wall, not that there seemed to be one conveniently nearby. Who the heck tried to conjure a planet? He did, apparently. Blaming it all on the power quite literally going to his head, he idly realized he could think other things again. Truly, the potential of magic was not to be underestimated. Now if only he'd thought of a concentration-enhancing spell that potent back when he was getting all his Masteries…_

" _If you're done messin' around with that magic, you might wanna give it back. I'm pretty sure its owner won't appreciate you using it."_

 _He jumped and spun around, only to see… himself? It was like staring into a mirror, except his mirror image moved independently of him and was a three-dimensional human being instead of… an image. He stared uncomprehendingly. His copy waved at him with a cheeky smile._

" _Yes, hi. Hello. I'm you. Get over it," the other Harry said. Pause. "Actually, wait. Don't. It's funnier, and I'm not going to last very long. Better to die with a smile and all that."_

 _The real Harry could only continue to stare, dumbfounded._

" _Long story short, congratulations! It worked. You're free! Unfortunately, you clearly don't remember what you're here for. I'd wager you don't remember anything of the last day."_

 _The last day. Centuries of life had conditioned Harry to not trust very easily, but it wasn't like he had other options here. Ophis warned him many things would come together on the last day, and plans would likely need to be adjusted on the fly._

" _Who are you and why do you look like me?"_

" _Your good buddy Infinity made me from a fragment of your soul when it became clear you wouldn't survive the encounter with the End. I'm here to help you. You're welcome."_

" _I met the End?"_

" _Hell yeah you did! Sure, your soul was basically destroyed, but hey. Now you can say you threw down with the End and lived to tell the tale! Now THAT is something that'll impress the ladies for sure."_

 _At his copy's claim of his soul being destroyed, Harry instinctually clutched at his chest._

" _Oh, don't worry about the whole 'destroyed soul' part. Infinity did you a solid and put you back together."_

" _Ophis… put my soul back together?"_

" _And made me to help you along. You owe that man a drink. Err. Woman? Thing? Whatever."_

 _His other self smirked._

" _Anyway, you about ready to get going? There's work to be done, and you're the one who needs to do it. Downside of being the only one around."_

" _Did the world end?" Harry asked. "I thought Ophis would survive too."_

" _Uhh, yes and no. To the world-ending thing. The world's still around. This is it."_

"… _This?"_

" _Yeah. You remember the plan? Well, it worked. You are now at the infinitesimally small moment of time in between the End breaking the seal and the world ending. Move back a step, and you're trapped again. Move forward and everything goes poof."_

" _So time is stopped?"_

" _Give the man a medal! A silver one."_

 _Harry resisted the urge to deck himself._

" _Y'see, when you broke the spell over Time, you didn't just break the spell. You broke Time too. You uh… punted it from the fabric of existence. Time's gone."_

 _And just like that, his thoughts were derailed again. What the heck did that even mean? Time was gone? How does one account for Time being gone?_

" _Ol' hamster's running itself ragged on the wheel, I see. Never fear, that's why I'm here!" his copy declared theatrically. "You're basically the be all, end all here. Take control of whoever's magic you want. I'd suggest Genesis again. If you're gonna remake a concept, best start with the thing made to make other things, right?"_

" _You want me… to remake Time?"_

" _No, I want you make me a bunny rabbit. While you're at it, a sandwich might be nice."_

" _Was I… always like you?"_

" _What do you think? We're part of the same soul."_

 _Harry sank into introspection. Maybe he had been suppressing his emotions too much during his time as Voldemort? There wasn't much time for joking around when you were busy trying to conquer the world._

" _Nah, I'm pulling your leg. Infinity made me, remember? Gotcha!"_

" _Ophis… pranked me?" Rather than be angry, he felt immensely proud of the other being._

" _Yep! Looks like you rubbed off on him-her-it! But let's be real for a moment here. You used to be a major pussy. Let Moldy and Dorky walk all over you. You got better in the power department, but seriously. Infinite time. Literally all the time you could ever want. And your first instinct is to use it to study?"_

 _Harry rubbed at the back of his head sheepishly._

" _It seemed like a good idea?"_

" _You could have ruled the world!"_

" _Did. Got boring."_

" _Rule it better! Rule it funner! You're the one in charge! That's the whole point!"_

 _His copy palmed his face and tilted his head backwards as if he was in a Shakespearian play._

" _Oh, woe is me, to be born from such mediocrity."_

"… _If I'm basically God here, does that mean I can get rid of you?"_

" _Do it, I dare you. I'll even smile as you do. See?"_

 _Harry's hand twitched. Both of them knew he couldn't do that. His annoying doppelganger was his only source of information here. He was in the dark. Then he had a stroke of brilliance, at least in his opinion._

" _I order you to be serious."_

" _Sirius is our godfather. I'd say we're Harry, but at the moment I don't want to consider the implications of that. Pick a new name?"_

 _His eye twitched this time. He needed command magic. If this was his soul, the Unforgivables would be ineffective. Conceptual magic of Command, maybe? He scoured the world around him, reaching out to the different magic he could sense. Command, command… no dice. Obedience? Surely someone or something had to have a concept he could use. Destruction, Sin, Wrath, Genesis, Void, Apocalypse, Soul, Oath… Blue? Who the heck mastered a color? His thoughts were interrupted by his copy._

" _See? This is what I mean. All that studying and still, you forget the most basic of things."_

 _Harry looked up in confusion._

" _Look, man. Do us both a favor and level with me here. Who the fuck are you?"_

 _His copy's vulgarity was offset by the complete seriousness of his tone. Harry blinked a couple of times and carefully considered the question. Obviously, the stock answer wasn't the right one, but it was as good a place as any to start._

" _I'm Harry Potter," he answered._

" _Yes, yes. Congratulations. You remember your name. I know you hate those titles, but dig deep for me."_

" _I'm… the Master of Death."_

" _Aaand?"_

" _Lord Voldemort."_

" _You held that title maybe twice. Go back to the other one."_

 _When he saw Harry's blank stare, his copy buried his face in his hands._

" _Oh, for Merlin's sake… Master of Death, Master of Charms, Master of Defense, Master of Potions. You've got so many Masteries you could qualify for Master of Magic if you tried! Granted, you'd have to get all your memories back, but still. Are you seeing a pattern here, or is it just me?"_

 _Harry thought back on his copy's previous sentences. A light bulb went off in his head. Soon, he smacked his own face with his palm. Whatever happened on the last day must have really thrown him if he forgot something that basic. The Deathly Hallows would never let him live it down. His copy patted his shoulder comfortingly._

" _Don't worry, buddy. Just this once, I'll forgive you. The End of Time does that to people."_

 _He looked his copy in the eye._

" _Take this seriously." Harry's magic laced his voice._

 _His copy smirked. Blazing green eyes met even brighter green._

" _It's about damn time, Master. Now, let's make us a concept."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

As it turned out, Time hadn't actually been, as his copy had so elegantly put it, "punted from the fabric of existence" after all. Good thing, too. He was only human, and his magical core had a hard upper limit on the amount of magic it could channel at once. Creating a concept probably took a lot more than creating Earth. No, Time was still there. It had just been shattered into itty-bitty pieces. Around two million pieces, to be exact. One fragment for every witch or wizard's core trapped in the spell. To get it working again, Harry needed to bond all their cores to a single thing and put the concept back together, metaphorically speaking. Whatever it was bonded to would need to be able to withstand the burden. Naturally, his first choice was himself. Or more accurately, he chose his own core.

Surprisingly, his copy wholeheartedly agreed with him. Then he revealed he was being sarcastic. He wasn't some sort of modern-day Messiah. His core wasn't made to support other cores. So, Harry had taken control of Genesis once more and made something that could. The leftover relic from that stage of the plan was hanging around Harry's neck. It no longer contained the concept of Time, but it retained some powers from when it had. Entities were only supposed to be able to use one concept at a time, so it wasn't like Harry would have been able to fully utilize Time anyway.

He watched his significant other sleep peacefully. He had really gone the extra mile this time in tiring her out. Partly because he loved her, partly for his own pleasure, but mostly because if Serafall had the strength and courage to face her forgotten memories, then he sure as Hell had no excuse not to do the same. Granted, he had at least many, many times the amount of memories Obliviated from his mind that she did, but it wasn't like he needed all of them. Right now, he just needed more information on his own capabilities.

His performance against the homunculus of Samael and Yamata no Orochi had revealed clear deterioration in his aptitude for combat. He supposed it was inevitable when he didn't have anyone around to really practice against on a regular basis, since Sirzechs and the leaders of the Three Factions either didn't have free time, weren't willing, or weren't suitable opponents. With any luck, that would change with the addition of Serafall, Kuroka, and hopefully two or three more to his Peerage in the coming weeks. He had at least two people in mind already and he was sure he would find someone else suitable in Europe.

The Resurrection Stone flashed a couple of times. Harry nodded, indicating he was ready for the next memory. He immediately lost track of the real world.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _Harry stood in the middle of a forest. Malfoy was on his shoulder. He wore heavy black robes despite the relatively hot weather, the ends of his Cloak of Invisibility billowing outwards behind him as it sat on his shoulders. His gloved left hand held the Elder Wand, while the ring holding the Resurrection Stone was on a finger of his right. He waited patiently for the entity he had summoned to answer his call._

" _So you finally show yourself to me, 'Master of Death'."_

" _Hades. I come in peace to make a request of you."_

 _The skeleton in priest's clothing shifted its stance. Pinpricks of light in its skull flashed red as it raised its staff to point at the man standing a few meters away._

" _The only request I will grant is your destruction. Unless you have come to ask that of me, leave. A thief like you deserves nothing more."_

" _Your animosity is misplaced, but understandable."_

 _Harry tossed the Elder Wand to the ground in front of Hades. The Resurrection Stone followed, detached from the ring. The Cloak of Invisibility flew off his shoulders and folded itself neatly into a square next to the other two items reluctantly._

"… _What is the meaning of this?"_

" _You want Death so much? Take it."_

 _The god eyed the three Deathly Hallows but made no move to bend over and pick them up._

" _What's the matter, Hades? This is what you came for, right?"_

" _You know as well as I do the conditions of that contract."_

" _You're a god. You'll reform eventually. And when you do, all of Death will finally be yours."_

 _Still, the god didn't move. His staff remained pointed at the human man standing across from him, his eyes stayed red, and the river of souls that accompanied him everywhere kept flowing silently in the background. It was several seconds before he spoke._

" _No sane person would ever give up this much power."_

" _I have never claimed sanity. With my past actions, would you believe me to be sane? Why don't you ask Thanatos and Pluto what they think of my mental state? Or Orcus?"_

 _At Harry's reminder of what had happened when Hades sent his strongest Grim Reapers against him, the god's eyes dimmed. They had returned under the thrall of the Master of Death, delivering a message that he did not wish to come into conflict with him. Both had then fallen into a coma for a full year. When Pluto, the first to awaken, was asked what their encounter had been like, the Grim Reaper had shuddered and reported that the Master of Death was beyond their capabilities, and wielded many powers beyond that of Death itself. He grudgingly admitted that he was unsure if Hades himself would have been able to win, which from someone as loyal as Pluto meant that the god would likely have perished._

 _Orcus, his interest piqued, had ventured out on his own to meet the Master of Death and returned in high spirits. When questioned, he happily stated that the other entity was very much a funny person to be around, shocking both Thanatos and Pluto. The leader of the conservative faction of Grim Reapers then revealed a gift he had received, a magical scythe that cut an opponent's soul that was somehow even more effective than the scythes used by the other Reapers. According to him, the scythe could only be used by him and his progeny, a fact that was extensively tested and proven true. That didn't stop Hades from reverse-engineering it and giving copies to all of his Reapers to use. Thanatos and Pluto both refused, the former unwilling use any part of a gift against its original owner and the latter out of pride in his current weapon given to him by his master._

 _Hades had been frustrated with his subordinates' stubbornness. Morals and pride had no place in wars of power. Nonetheless, he'd allowed their decisions. Both of them were still stronger than the rest of the Grim Reapers by a wide margin, and it wasn't as if there were really any threats to his territory if the Master of Death proved to be as docile as he appeared. The gift went a long way to assuring him, though he still plotted to claim full ownership over the concept in the future. He would search first for non-violent measures._

" _Destroy them," the god suggested._

" _You think I haven't tried? Shiva would sooner recruit me to his cause or claim the power for himself, perhaps by forcing a god under his employ to take possession of it. Nothing short of something like Destruction will succeed."_

" _He is not the only one to wield Destruction."_

 _Harry raised an eyebrow as Hades drew a book from within the folds of his own robes. He recognized it as a copy of the Ars Goetia. The grimoire floated across the distance separating the two and stopped in front of the wizard._

" _Demons are extinct. Their magic with them," he said simply._

" _You are an intelligent man who has other methods available to him. Use them."_

" _It would be so much easier if you just accepted the Deathly Hallows."_

" _I am in no mood to accept Death."_

 _The river of souls began flowing faster._

" _I wish you the best of luck, fake."_

 _The God of the Realm of the Dead vanished, the souls with him. Harry took no offense at his parting comment. He knew the deity was a pragmatic individual. He was only stating fact. Master of Death was just a title, conferred to him because he had happened to unite three artifacts forged by brothers who had no idea what they were truly doing. His acceptance of Death was by chance as well. One by one, the Deathly Hallows floated back to him. The cloak seemed to chide him for trying to give it away. He chuckled lowly._

" _I guess that means you're stuck with me for a bit longer."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"How many of these memories do I even have?" Harry wondered aloud. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and looked down at the woman snoozing on his chest. To his relief, she showed no signs of stirring. He stroked her hair, causing her to smile in her sleep.

The Resurrection Stone flashed a few times. Really? That was it?

Several flashes. Oh, plenty of other memories, apparently. But, none as important as those first few. Well, they were important enough for him to preserve, so there was that, but he had been very clear in his instructions earlier. For now, he was going through only the most immediately-useful memories stored in the Pensieve on Serafall's hand. The memory of the creation of his Time-Turner reminded him of the rest of its abilities, as well as a few of his own he had sealed away within it. The memory of his meeting with Hades reminded him of his relationship with the Grim Reapers. Perhaps it was time to arrange for another meeting? He also needed to keep the Hexennacht Order in mind. Augusta and the Sorting Hat were waiting for him. He added Greece to his mental list of destinations in Europe. Also on the list was wherever the gateway to Asgard was, Rome for the Vatican, and Romania, among other places.

Lord Orion's meeting with Diehauser Belial came to mind. What was he going to do with a normal King Piece? No matter how friendly he was with the Four Great Satans, the King Pieces had been retired from service for very good reasons. He couldn't just walk up to Ajuka and ask him to modify it into another Tyrant King. Harry could do it himself, given enough time, but time was short these days. Without the adjustments to the Piece, it served as little more than a nice power boost. Maybe an emergency battery of magical energy. Useful, to be sure, but not as useful as a potential King to lead his Peerage when he wasn't there. He would have liked to give it to Serafall.

Harry yawned. He was getting a little sleepy. His wife's cuddling wasn't making it any easier to stay awake. He had enough concentration for maybe one more memory. He told his sentient stone to show him the most important memory he had stored away. The stone took his statement a different way.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 _Always, the world reset before he could ask. Always, they moved too slow. Always, he was too late. Not anymore. This time was different. This time, he decided to take a chance. He would marry Serafall Leviathan as if his life depended on it. For all he knew, this would be his last chance to do so. The next cycle was when the plan would be set in motion._

 _And so, Harry Potter mustered all of his confidence from hundreds upon hundreds of years of dating and approached the Devil sitting at the bar where he knew she'd be. After all, today was the day they had met for the first time every single time before. This was an otherwise unremarkable cycle. As such, everything would play out exactly the way it always did. Unless he did something._

" _Hi there. You must be the Satan of Foreign Affairs."_

 _Serafall Leviathan perked up and turned to look at the person who had addressed her._

" _Mm? Yep. That's me!"_

" _Nice to meet you. I'm Harry Potter."_

 _She reacted positively to his easygoing attitude, just like he knew she would. She was always the bubbly sort._

" _Nice to meet you, too! I'm Serafall!"_

" _Just Serafall? That… doesn't sound English."_

 _She paused, her eyes darting back and forth nervously. Harry didn't need to read her soul to know she wasn't used to her status as a Satan yet. In fact, she utterly despised her duties with a passion and took every opportunity available to have fun on the job. To her dismay, her efforts had actually backfired when her diplomatic efforts turned out to be wildly successful. Her television show was a hit, causing her popularity to skyrocket. Her penchant for staying in-costume off the set became her trademark. It was made worse because she vastly preferred the airy, casual magical girl outfit to her formal diplomat's robes anyway._

 _Her permanent appointment as Satan of Foreign Affairs was met with much pouting and hissing on her part, which only further endeared her to the people she dealt with. After decades working in the office, she finally accepted the inevitable and, like the overly optimistic individual she was, decided to make the best of it. She livened any meeting she was participated in. Tensions automatically lowered the moment she entered the conversation. Just her name, either Serafall or Levia-tan, was enough to brighten the mood. But, she'd never really gotten used to her actual title._

" _Uhh. My parents had a weird naming sense?"_

 _Harry held back a laugh._

" _Fair enough," he said. He pretended not to notice the way she visibly sagged with relief. "So what's with the outfit?"_

 _His question made her perk back up instantly. Truth be told, Harry found it irresistibly cute and had to actively fight the urge to pet her head like a puppy. She was at the perfect height for it too, since he was standing…_

" _I'm a magical girl!"_

" _Really? I thought I recognized it. Aren't you Miracle Levia-tan?"_

 _She gasped._

" _You watch my show! That's it, you're hired! I choose you! I want you to be my liaison!"_

" _I'm… not sure the ICW will appreciate you unilaterally deciding my appointment, but-"_

" _Don't care! I choose you, Harry! In fact, let's make it official, right now!"_

 _This was it. He always chickened out before. This time would be different._

" _Official? How?"_

" _Easy! You know how Devils work, right? Make a deal with me!"_

" _A deal? You mean a contract?"_

 _She nodded enthusiastically and dragged him off. He obediently followed along behind her. Their rapid footsteps eventually took them upstairs to her room in the Leaky Cauldron. He only knew it was such because he'd been invited here several times, but this would be his first time inside. She threw open the door and pushed him inside. He fell down and found himself in a plush bedroom that definitely didn't belong in a pub-slash-inn. The decorations were lavish, and he saw a four-poster bed in front of him._

" _Err."_

" _You're nothing like the rest of those stuffy old bats!" Serafall chirped as she skipped in behind him._

 _The door shut on its own to reveal an ornate wooden carving of the Leviathan crest. Hearts were carved all around the edges. He looked around the room some more. The wallpaper was pink and blue, and Miracle Levia-tan posters were plastered all over the place. Strangely enough, most of them didn't feature the titular star of the show, instead depicting the various co-stars and supporting cast members. He smirked to himself. Only Serafall._

" _Am I in Hell?" he asked, despite knowing the answer. He might not have been inside her room in the Leaky Cauldron before, but that didn't mean he had never been inside her personal bedroom. "Because I kind of expected more fire and brimstone."_

 _The magical girl gasped louder._

" _YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR!"_

 _She practically teleported around the room, snatching paper, ballpoint pen, and her wax seal, fumbling with it a bit to get it to heat up as she wrote. When it was ready, she smacked it on the square piece of parchment against the nearest wall. It was a good thing everything in her mansion was magically-reinforced._

" _DO IT! SIGN IT NOW!" she demanded, thrusting the piece of paper under his nose._

 _Harry read it aloud with growing amusement._

" _I, Harry Potter, agree to be the liaison between the Devils and wizardkind."_

 _That was it. She had written the same sentence three times; the first in regular script, the second in neat, flowing cursive, and the last in all capital letters._

"… _Oh wait. On pain of death. Ouch. You couldn't have made the penalty a bit lighter?"_

" _Dooo iiit," she begged. "If I have to talk to another stuck-up, arrogant, holier-than-thou, arrogant, egotistical, conceited, and arrogant eighty-year-old bag of dust again, I swear I'm going to kill someone. Probably the arrogant windbag." She paused. "Oooh, I wish I could kill those arrogant bastards…" She caught herself with a quiet "Eep," and tried to smile innocently. "Please, sign? I'm really begging you here. Don't make wizards the first black mark on my perfect diplomatic record…"_

 _Harry lost the battle against his laughter. She pouted at him and slapped his arm. She panicked when she realized she had forgotten to hold back her Satan strength, but she was surprised when her target didn't budge an inch. In truth, dealing with Serafall for several years had conditioned Harry to reinforce his body just in case of that very thing happening._

" _Ahh… I love you, Sera."_

" _Huh?"_

 _He froze and cursed inwardly._

" _Uhh… Nothing. Anyway, you want me to sign the contract, right? Well, from what I know, contracts are two-way. What do I get?" The otherwise greedy undertone to his question was offset by his easy smile. Serafall let a decidedly more seductive smile play along her own lips in response._

" _Well…" she began, drawing it out, "if you like me that much, we could go on a date?"_

 _More inward cursing. If this cost him his chance, he was going to take acting classes._

" _You read my mind, Ms. Levia-tan. I've never been in the Underworld before, but I seem to recall that there was a theme park dedicated to you?"_

 _She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek._

" _It's a promise! Now sign, buster!"_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"NII-SAN! NII-SAN! OPEN UP! HARRY POTTER, OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!"

Serafall groaned in her sleep.

"Five more minutes, So-tan…"

She curled back up against Harry's side from where she'd rolled off of him at some point in the middle of the night. The man she was pressed against groaned as well.

"So-tan, it's too early. Go back to sleep…"

A silencing charm restored the blissful state of quiet. His wife nuzzled against him appreciatively. He used more magic to pull the covers back over them both from where they'd been kicked to the bottom of the bed as usual and promptly went back to sleep. Or at least, he tried to. His wife kept nuzzling against him. Thinking she was just being her usual overly affectionate self in the mornings, Harry gave her the customary head pat to calm her down. His hand brushed across two twitching, pointed ears. Some Pureblood Devils had pointed ears. As far as he knew, none of them were furry.

The Wizard opened his eyes and looked to his left. Yep, there was Serafall. Cute, beautiful, and sexy all at the same time. Amazing what nudity could achieve in combination with the female form. So if she was there, then who was on his right? He saw a pair of black cat ears in his peripheral vision.

"Kuroka, get out of our bed and put some clothes on."

"Nuh uh! Not this time! You proposed to me! You made me yours! So make me yours entirely!"

Serafall was magically awake in no time.

"Really?! Harry-kun, did you really marry her too? Wait… did you marry her first? Nooooo! I knew I should have been more persistent all those years ago!"

"I didn't propose to her, Sera."

"Did too! You did it all fancy-like with the Piece!"

Serafall gasped theatrically.

"You did that with another woman? How could you! I thought what we had was special!"

Harry looked at her flatly.

"Teehee?" she tried. He bopped her without remorse, ignoring her whiny pout.

"Kuroka, you're really making me regret my life choices here."

"All I want you to do is make me yours!" the Nekoshou protested.

"I'm not sure I want any part of you in me anymore."

"That's okay! I'm not really into that either! Besides, you can't give me kittens that way!"

His flat look became flatter. Then he realized there was another extra occupant on the bed. Once again, Koneko had wedged herself in between Harry and Serafall in her kitten form.

"Koneko?" He asked. Kuroka looked over him.

"Shirone?"

"'Shirone'?" Harry echoed Kuroka's question.

The medium-sized white cat yawned and transformed into the pajama-clad form of Shirone, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. She regarded the two of them with her trademark judgmental deadpan. Harry didn't like being the subject of her gaze.

"Shiro, please don't look at me like that."

She tilted her head to the side. Then, she pointed at both Harry and Kuroka in turn.

"Perverts."

"Ugh!"

Harry made to clutch at his chest, but found both his arms pinned by different women. Both refused to let go, with Serafall innocently pinning it between her breasts as she cuddled with him and Kuroka purposefully directing his hand between her legs as she rubbed herself along his arm. Shirone's deadpanning intensified. Kuroka being Kuroka decided to throw gasoline on the fire.

"Nyahaha, Shirone's just jealous 'cause she wants your kittens, too!" she crowed.

Harry channeled his inner Koneko and deadpanned as hard as he possibly could at the dark-haired Nekoshou. Of course, his pathetic attempt at copying the master of deadpan fell drastically short of the real thing, which Kuroka was also resistant to, so it had little to no effect. He sighed.

"Not helping, Kuroka."

"Oh really?" she asked. "Shirone, what do you think?"

He looked back at the other Nekoshou and did a double take. The white-haired woman had stripped herself without him noticing, her pajamas nowhere to be seen. His brain short-circuited when she draped herself across his front. He still wasn't wearing anything from the previous night's activities. Serafall's eyes lit up like it was Christmas.

"…Mine."

"See?"

"Shiro?!"

Harry's panicked cries went ignored by everyone. Shirone poked his cheek to get his attention. When he looked down at her, his attempt to turn his head away was stopped by both of her hands on his head. His protests died in his throat as he saw her serious look.

"Shirone."

"Shiro…ne?" He thought about it for a moment. "Like your sister?"

She nodded in satisfaction and let him go. She then rested her head on his chest and began purring lowly. The vibrations traveled down her body and triggered a reaction in the body of the man she was lying on.

"Alright! Fourso- Grk!"

"Four- Mmph!"

Kuroka was silenced by her sister's lightning-fast chop to her throat. She coughed as she tried to clear her airway. With both of his arms bound, Harry was forced to twist his head to cover his wife's mouth with his own to keep her from shouting the word. When he pulled away to take a breath, she was giggling happily. He met eyes with Shirone worriedly. To his immense relief, the white-haired Nekoshou seemed much more inclined to simply enjoy lying on top of him.

Alas, Harry and Shirone's efforts were for naught, as there were simply one too many amorous women with perverted tendencies living in the estate. The teasing voice of the leader of the Japanese Youkai interrupted their brief respite, making them all freeze.

"Ara. Harry-san, we did not expect you to take our suggestions so seriously. Judging from your positions, did Kuroka finally open your mind to her idea of a foursome last night?"

The Wizard was torn. Should he look? His moral compass was spinning in every direction. Normally, the clear answer would be a firm "no" since his wife was here. But when said wife actively encouraged such an action, did that mean it was wrong to disobey her wishes? This was far from the first time Yasaka had arrived unannounced. She had never worn a stitch of clothing any of the other times and he doubted this would be the exception, even if it was the day after the invasion. Was it disrespectful _not_ to look when the subject openly declared their intent and offered you the opportunity?

"…Pervert fox."

"Why hello there, Shirone. Congratulations on consummating your bond. Should we inform Magari-dono, or will you?"

Harry groaned when Shirone blushed and just buried her head into his chest. Kuroka laughed at the whole situation openly, joined by Serafall's own giggles. He gave in when even Shirone let out a heavy sigh and smiled in resignation. His own, slightly nervous laughter joined the raucous chorus in the room. He was using every ounce of his will not to react to the three women pressed against him. Failing that, he was focusing on the feeling of his wife against him and pointedly ignoring the way Kuroka had resumed her attempts to use his arm as a masturbation aid.

That was when the door was iced over and shattered. Standing in the doorway was Sona, the light reflecting off her glasses and making them glint ominously, and Fenrir, who had his hands up as if he had been trying to stop the girl. He was also panting as if he'd run all the way from his room, which was not altogether unlikely. They were both wearing casual yukata, though his looked out of place on him. His wolf ears and tail were also out to help him blend in with the other Youkai.

"Are you crazy?! What made you think that was a good idea? How did you even do that? I know the doors are… are… aw shit."

Fenrir trailed off as he looked into the room. The four women and Harry stared back at him with mixed reactions. Luckily, the Wizard had conjured clothing for all of the naked women on reflex, but not himself. Regardless, Serafall had a chilling smile on her face, while Kuroka's was more teasing but still dangerous. Shirone's expression was nothing short of murderous. Yasaka was the only one who was genuinely smiling, dressed in her usual formal kimono. Sona's furious visage melted away when she saw Harry. She blushed to her ears and fainted dead away. Her male companion caught her before she face-planted, wishing he had the benefit of having lost consciousness.

"I'll uh, I'll just be going now. Sorry to disturb you."

He bowed and carried Sona off as fast as he could. Long after he left, everyone broke into laughter once more.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Damages are still being tallied, but in terms of loss of life, Kyoto has lost about ten percent of its overall civilian population and up to thirty percent of its total military forces, with most of that being Youkai who were enraptured by the spell. Had Nurarihyon-dono's Hyakki Yakou not been timed as it was, We shudder to think what would have happened."

The Hyakki Yakou had indeed lived up to its legacy. The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was a forced movement ritual conducted with Nurarihyon and other Youkai he selected at its head. Anyone who participated in its march from the beginning traveled the full length from Kyoto to Tokyo via magic, while anyone who joined partway through was dropped off in random spots along the way. In this case, it worked to the defenders' favor since the ritual of the Parade could not be stopped once started.

Harry listened grimly as Yasaka outlined the results of the invasion. The population of Japanese Youkai was not large to begin with, so any loss was felt by the whole city. But, there was a silver lining. Had this invasion occurred only a decade earlier, almost all of the Youkai living in Japan would have been in the city, and it would have been forced to fend for itself. It was only recently that more population centers of Youkai could be found in other cities like Osaka and Aoyama. Youkai from other cities returned to them earlier, leaving only their elite forces behind to participate in the defense effort. These elite forces would happily supplement the Kyoto military while it recovered, since the other cities were receiving joint aid from the other Three Factions under the leadership of the Satan of Military Affairs.

Kunou, who had tried to greet Harry when he entered the room with Yasaka, now slept peacefully curled up in his lap in her fox kit form. After her expulsion from the dimension in which Shirone and Kuroka fought Naberius, she had been integral in uniting the two civilian populations in preparation for the final evacuation at midnight. She had only arrived from Tokyo and the other cities earlier that morning to report from Nurarihyon, who was organizing efforts in the capital city along with Falbium. Her ears twitched when Harry ran his hand over her head, scratching behind them for a few seconds.

"The survivors?" he asked.

"We are told the majority of the civilians will make a full recovery. At least half of our remaining military is injured in some way, though tentative predictions are that most of them will recover as well."

"I'll help the rest who can't."

"That would be most appreciated. However, We have questions We would like answers to."

Harry closed his eyes.

"Of course you do. Alright, ask."

"Do not worry, Harry-san. Ours are not the questions you might expect. We do have you to thank for the return of both our Guardians, as it were. The city will be ecstatic to hear the news."

He smiled. Right now, both Kuroka and her sister Shirone were touring the city. Serafall was back in the Underworld talking with Sirzechs and Ajuka about how the return of the Nekoshou twins would be handled, along with a progress report on the aftermath of the invasion. Michael had sent a message via Griselda, who had met with Harry on the way to Yasaka's room. The reincarnated Angel left with Saji and the rest of Sona's Peerage for a special warded zone in Heaven that wouldn't kill them. As soon as Sona woke up, she would probably demand to be taken there as well, which was why Irina was waiting patiently in a guest room along with Masaomi, a former subordinate of her father's.

"Right. So, what do you want to ask?"

"Always in such a rush. We have another method of questioning in mind."

Harry looked at the Kitsune in confusion.

"Do you know how to perform a communion of souls?"

"Yasaka, we can't."

His immediate denial was met with soft chuckles.

"So you do have something to hide?" Yasaka asked with a teasing smile.

"You know that's not why. Do you want me to swear an oath?"

Instead of answering him, she stood up. She walked over and sat down in front of him, reaching into his lap and lifting the sleeping fox kit from it gently. Kunou blinked awake as she was removed from her warm and comfortable spot, but fell back asleep when she was cradled in her mother's arms. Harry deadpanned when Yasaka scooted over and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Yasaka…"

"Shh."

Her nine tails curled around them both.

"You fear Death. Not for yourself, but for others. But, you underestimate your own power over it. Did you know that a mate-bond doubles as a soul bond as well?"

"What?" he asked in surprise. But that meant…

"It's true."

Yasaka set her daughter down in her own lap and laid one hand on Kunou's head. The other traced the side of Harry's neck. The invisible paw print tingled under her touch.

"This is Kuroka's. Stronger than ever, no doubt because you've finally accepted her."

"…I did ask Magari for permission. I suppose I should have asked you too. Sorry for taking one of your Guardians away after you just got her back, technically."

"Fufufu. Don't worry, Harry-san. It's what she always wanted."

She traced his collarbone until she reached the other side of his neck, leaning against him for easier access.

"This is Shirone's. A fitting name, We think. Her mark predates her sister's. It too is strong. In fact, We think it might just be stronger. What does this mean, We wonder?"

Harry shuddered.

"Uh, sorry," he apologized sheepishly.

"If We didn't know better, We would think this was all part of your plans from years ago. But, even you could not have predicted who that Devil would have targeted. It was mere chance he befriended the Nekomata first. If anything, you should be praised for your services."

"I…"

"Shhhh."

Yasaka's shushing finger traced its way down Harry's face to the center of his chest, hidden by his yukata. It stopped on his heart. A third mark.

"And this… This is where We would have placed ours, had you let us. Three tails is actually quite late for such a thing, but it's not unheard of."

"It's not a mate-bond."

"It isn't. She imprinted on you. But you know what the surprising part is?"

Harry didn't need to ask, but he did anyway.

"What is it?"

"It covers another. The same mark. By the same person."

Yasaka sat up. While she was leaned over, Kunou had shifted positions several times. Eventually, the small girl migrated from one lap to another and resettled in her previous spot. The leader of the Youkai smiled at the sight and stood up fully, straightening her kimono.

"It seems We do not have questions after all. Your silence is telling."

She walked to the door of her bedroom. Kitsune and Wizard made eye contact as the former stood in the doorway.

"We have other tasks to attend to. We trust you will treat our daughter with the utmost of courtesies. Be informed that as her godfather, we expect you to visit much more often than you have thus far."

Harry spluttered. Yasaka smirked playfully.

"Farewell, Master. Take care not to waste this chance."

And she was gone. He stared at the door as it slid closed on its own. The Kitsune in his lap continued to sleep peacefully. He carefully lifted her into his arms as he stood up as well. She burrowed into his chest. When he was sure she was done moving around, he teleported into his empty shared bedroom and deposited the small kit onto his pillow. Kunou let herself be tucked in without complaint. Harry sat on the bed next to her.

"This chance, huh."

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he had reaffirmed his resolve.

"This time, I'll get it right."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serafall crouched down and brushed some snow off of the gravestone of her parents. Lord and Lady Sitri had died during the Great War between the Three Factions, leaving her alone. They were supposed to be alive. Without them, Sona's very existence was a paradox. But that was what her Time-Turner was for. She was from the old world. Her soul was bound to the artifact the same way Harry's was bound to the one around his neck. The same way Koneko's, or Shirone's, had been bound to hers. As far as she knew, Harry carried ten other artifacts, for a total of thirteen. Not all of them were hourglasses.

All of them supported the existence of souls in a world where they were not meant to continue living in. The culmination of his plans required the destruction of all of them in sequence, but only after the people they were bonded to could support themselves. She didn't know why Harry only needed artifacts for certain people, but he told her it was important. Ritual magic was very specific with regards to things like number of participants.

Everything was to avert the End.

A cold wind blew through the Sitri family cemetery. It was the middle of the summer, but this part of the Sitri territory was captured in an eternal winter. Not that any of it bothered Serafall. She didn't specialize in ice magic for show. Her little sister following in her footsteps, rather than the water magic the Sitri Clan was known for, was likely a byproduct of her new experiences since being reincarnated here. Now that nobody wielded Time, any future generations of the clan would probably also specialize in ice magic. Maybe her avatar of ice would replace the family's avatar of water as their signature magic?

"I thought I'd find you here."

Serafall turned around and saw her fellow Satan trudging through the snow. Unlike her magical girl outfit, Ajuka wore his usual green cloak over his bare chest and formal pants. His Kankara Formula kept his body warm.

"Hi, Ajuka-chan. Where's Zechs-chan at?"

"Waiting in the wings. The Devils he was keeping an eye on made their move early and were all caught."

"Wow~"

"Azazel and Michael both sent us a message. Members of both their Factions have defected. Looks like the invasion on Kyoto was the trigger for something big. Are you about ready to go?"

"Go where?"

"Europe. Didn't Harry tell you? I'm coming along."

Serafall blinked.

"What about our wedding?"

"Still next week. So's mine."

"…Then why are we going to Europe now?"

Ajuka blinked in response.

"Damn it, Harry. Don't use me as your messenger," he muttered. He cleared his throat. "He has a standing invite from a Magician's association. The Hexennacht Order. Listen carefully. He's their secret leader."

She blinked again as information flooded into her head.

"Woah. I feel like I should have known that."

"I'm told it's supposed to feel that way. Anyway, I have some last minute things to take care of so that the Rating Tournament will run smoothly in my absence. Lord Orion's supposed to debut along with his new Peerage members. It's going to be a real headache. I don't envy Sirzechs for having to deal with the fallout."

"Why?"

"Vali Lucifer and Kuroka. An exile and someone who's supposed to have come back from the dead. He's also going to have another member, if Sirzechs isn't outright lying to me. He doesn't do things by halves, does he?"

"Don't forget about me!"

Ajuka paused.

"What?"

"I'm his Queen now!" Serafall declared. "We made it official yesterday!"

His reaction was lacking in her opinion.

"About time. It's a good thing you won't be participating in the Tournament."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean 'why not'? You're a Satan. You can't participate."

"Sure I can! All I gotta do is wear Harry's cloak!"

"You mean Lord Orion's signature cloak? That won't go over well. And he needs it to hide himself anyway."

"Pfft. You just watch. I'll get into the Games somehow."

Ajuka deadpanned at her. She smiled cheerfully back at him. Their staring contest lasted several seconds while he tried to figure out exactly how she planned on hiding her identity and what the repercussions of her appointment as the Queen if it were ever discovered. Eventually, he gave up and sighed.

"…I guess it's a _really_ good thing I won't be around then. Anyway, are you ready?"

"Gimme a few minutes, then I'll be all good. It's just a quick visit, right?"

"That's the idea. I'll wait for you in Kyoto. I need to talk to Yasaka about something else. Also, we have one more coming with us. A werewolf."

"M'kay."

Ajuka nodded and turned to leave. He stopped, considering his next words. In the end, he settled for a simple warning.

"…Don't take too long."

"Yep!"

Serafall waved as he vanished in the light of teleportation. His footsteps were covered by new layer of snow in no time. She turned back to the gravestone and brushed more snow off of it.

"Rest in peace, Mom, Dad. Don't you worry, Harry and I will take great care of Sona. You can count on us! And uh, Harry still thinks it's his fault you died. Like you probably heard, we're getting married next week. I'll have all the time in the world to convince him to visit you guys, and we'll set the whole thing straight. Mhm."

She nodded to herself.

"So, I'll see you in a bit. Bye for now!"

With that, she walked out of the graveyard.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Fenrir regarded the other man carefully.

"I heard you helped heal my pack. Thanks."

"No problem. I promised."

"I didn't expect you to bring the others back too."

"Part of the benefits of being allied with me."

The werewolf leader scoffed. When he had met with the Master of Death for the first time, he wasn't expecting someone so young. The aura of power was unmistakable though. Resurrecting the dead only reconfirmed the man's status. He wasn't sure how Death was able to do it, but he didn't care either.

"I did what you asked," Fenrir said. "She's safe."

"You did. Good job," Harry replied.

"Now it's your turn. Where is she?"

"I can't bring her back."

The werewolf narrowed his eyes.

"Are you going back on your word?"

"No. I can't bring her back because she's not fully dead yet."

"…What?"

"Augusta Greyback's soul is being held in stasis by the Hexennacht Order."

"My… Order? We have her soul? But then, why did they send me here?"

"To meet me. To get me to come back with you once I realized who you were, or whose son you were. Let's start over, Loup Garou 'Rugal' Greyback. Nice to meet you. I'm Harry James Potter, your godfather."

Loup Garou blinked as information flooded his mind. His eyes widened.

"The Fidelius… you're the…"

"Yes. I'm apparently the leader of the Hexennacht Order now. You're coming with me to meet them and talk to your mother about what is and isn't appropriate for a prank. I think I taught her too well."

"…Master?"

"Don't call me that."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

The total number of witches and wizards in the world is inconsistent in HP canon. It has been estimated to be around one to two million, so we assumed population growth was relatively stagnant and rounded up.

Yes, the Blue is a reference. No, no other parts of this fic took inspiration from that universe.

In the next arc, Harry and Serafall pack for Europe to forge new alliances! However, things don't quite go according to plan…


	27. Interlude - Koneko Toujou

**Interlude – Koneko Toujou**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc)**

* * *

"I won't force you to help me. I'm not asking for a price for your lives or anything."

"Your soul… It's hurting so much…"

Harry blinked.

"Ah, bugger. Should've seen this coming with Youkai. Never mind. Forget I said anything. Actually, you won't remember in a moment anyway."

"I'll help."

The wizard stopped right as he was about to resurrect her.

"Let me help you," she insisted.

He shook his head.

"No, it's unfair to you. You weren't meant to see anything."

He raised his hands again, but found them both grasped by hers.

"I promised to protect her from everything," she said. "That includes the End."

"…If you've seen my soul, you know what that entails," Harry spoke solemnly.

"I have faith. You should try it sometime," she returned cheekily.

He snorted.

"Faith, huh…"

"Not in God. Not in some unseen power. I have faith in you."

"What?"

"You've saved us all once. You'll do it again," she stated confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Is this what it means to be blind to one's own brilliance?" she wondered aloud. "No matter. You'll find out soon enough on your own." She snatched the hourglass from his hand before he could react. "I will support you until the end whether you let me or not, Master."

"Don't call me that, Shiro."

"Nyahaha, try and stop me!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"…Koneko?"

"Koneko Toujou," her new acquaintance repeated.

Shiro didn't know how to feel at the moment. She had been introduced to Rias Gremory less than half an hour ago by her older brother, who had then left to go contact the Youkai. Her memories from before she had been dropped off with him were hazy. All she could remember was green eyes and a hand on her head. She missed the feeling.

"'Little kitten castle'?" she asked.

"Well, it fits, right? Sirzechs-nii said you protected your sister from the bad Devil!" Rias replied.

Did she? Shiro struggled to recall what the other girl was talking about, but it was like something was stopping her. Her sister… where was Kuro-chan, anyway? And Yasaka-sama? Kunou-chan? Magari-sama? She shook her head as a headache hit. Her tail twitched irritably.

"…Where's Kuro?"

The Gremory heiress fell silent with a small squeak. Shiro looked at her questioningly.

"Rias?"

"Uhh… I wasn't supposed to say that…" the redhead muttered, but the Nekoshou's superior hearing picked up on it. "Um, I don't know. The leader of the Youkai is coming over soon, though! She'll probably know more than me."

Shiro nodded, satisfied for now. Surely Yasaka-sama would be able to help her sort everything out. Everything felt… wrong for some reason. Her balance was off, and she felt weak. Whatever happened to her must have taken a lot out of her, and it was possible there were lingering aftereffects. Also, something kept bothering her about her tail. It looked no different than usual, the appendage waving about and reacting to her commands, but still, it wasn't quite right. Maybe it was about to split?

Another headache. Her tail, split? Why wasn't it split? Wait, why would it be split? She was too young. Her sister's hadn't split yet, right? And they were fraternal twins except for their hair color so their bodies probably developed at the same rate. Kuro-chan's tail… Kuro-chan's… Kuro… chan?

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?"

She saw red in the corner of her vision. It was a very bright red. Everything was blurry. She heard more than saw the door open. A couple of deep voices. She couldn't make them out. She was being lifted. Warm. It smelled like a big library. She curled up against whoever was carrying her and closed her eyes. She was comfortable here.

Shiro blinked awake in a futon in a Japanese-style room. She sat up slowly.

"Ah? Shiro-chan, you're awake!"

She snapped her head to the person who had spoken. It was her sister!

"Kuro-chan!"

She leapt from the covers, but lost her balance and fell into her sister's arms. She still felt weak, but she supposed it was only to be expected after just waking up. She burrowed into her sister's embrace and hugged her back like she was a lifeline. Her sister lifted her off her feet easily and seated her in her lap. Shiro blinked. Since when was her sister so much bigger than her? They were supposed to be twins…

"Shh. Don't think about anything right now," the dark-haired Nekoshou said soothingly as she stroked her sister's hair. Shiro's headache subsided as she began to drift off.

"Kuro?"

"Go ahead and sleep for now, Shiro-chan. We can talk later. I'm not going anywhere."

The petite girl blinked sleepily, blinked tiredly. In that moment, her sister seemed so gentle. She felt safe in Kuro's arms. Shiro wondered why she had been so worried in the first place. There was nothing wrong here. Her sister and she would survive, just like always. After their parents had died early in their lives, it was just them. Just as she closed her eyes for the last time before falling asleep, she caught sight of a split tail with black fur.

That's right. Maturity. They were supposed to get new names. They were twins, right? Kuro wouldn't mind if she got her new name at the same time, right?

Koneko Toujou reached for the tail, but lost strength in her limbs before she could touch it.

"Kuro... congratulations…"

She never saw her sister's tears.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"What did you just call me?"

"Hn?"

Harry looked over his shoulder at the two Nekoshou behind him. Yasaka likewise stopped midsentence and followed his gaze. Kuro was sitting cross-legged in her meditative stance, her sister having poked her to break her out of it.

"Kuro-kaa. Teach me."

"Kuro…kaa? Ne ne, say it again!"

Koneko deadpanned at her sister.

"Please! Say it again! I'm begging you, Shiro-chan!"

Yasaka chuckled at the dark-haired Nekoshou's antics.

"'Kuro-kaa'? My, that's a rather apt description when it comes matters concerning your sister," the Kitsune noted.

"Of course!" Kuro retorted. "She protected me a year ago, now it's my turn until she's her old self again!"

"Since you're an adult, you could technically become her legal guardian," Harry suggested. "I'm sure Lady Magari would be happy to approve it secretly."

The Nekoshou's eyes lit up, but then dimmed as her cat features all drooped in unison. She smiled wistfully.

"…No. We're sisters. I won't change that." She looked back at Koneko. "Never mind, Shiro-chan. I was just being stupid."

"Perhaps there's another way," a new voice said.

A calico cat strode into the private meeting chamber of Yasaka's estate. Both Nekoshou stood at attention to offer their respects. Kuro's loose-fitting kimono slipped off her shoulders at the sudden action, causing Harry to look away. The woman smiled and adjusted her clothing with deliberate slowness, waiting to see if he would peek again. When he didn't, her smile turned into a pout.

"…Magari-sama," Koneko greeted. Kuro echoed her.

"No need to be formal with me, girls. I heard Harry-san was in town, and was just visiting to ask him if he planned on attending Obon this year."

"It's too soon," Harry answered.

"As expected," the elder Nekomata agreed. "However, I could not help but overhear your wishes just now, young Kuro."

"Ah, I was, I was just joking, Magari-sama. Please disregard what you just heard," Kuro said hurriedly.

"That's a shame. I thought you had finally decided on your new name."

The Nekoshou blinked. Her sister blinked with her.

"My… new name?"

"Yes. 'Kuroka', was it? I believe it's a fine name."

"Kuroka… Kuroka…," the newly-christened Kuroka repeated her name over and over, testing it. "Yeah, yeah, that's a great idea! It's decided! Shiro-chan, from now on, call me Kuroka! Try it!"

Shiro looked between her excited sister and the other adults in the room. It was only after she saw Harry nod and urge her forward that she spoke.

"Kuro…ka?"

"Again! Again!"

"Kuroka."

"One more time!" the dark-haired Nekoshou squealed.

Cue deadpan.

"Kuro-baka."

"Yeah! Wait. HEY!"

Koneko smiled and laughed along with the others as her sister protested. This was nice. Everyone got along. Both she and her sister had new names now, too. In her mind, she wished this would last forever. She knew something was missing, but when she was like this, it was almost too easy to forget about that feeling of wrongness.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Be my Rook!" Rias said.

"No."

The redhead nearly tripped over in her shock. She held a red and black chess piece in her hands. Koneko recognized it as one of the Evil Pieces Devils used to reincarnate others into their Peerage. A few years ago, the first Youkai to become a Devil suffered an adverse reaction to being bonded and died, taking her master with her. A mild headache bothered the girl when she recalled this information, but she shrugged it off. She was used to them by now.

"How about my Bishop? I'd offer to make you a Knight, but I don't think you're that fast to begin with… unless there're sweets involved. Or Harry's here."

The Nekoshou's cat ears twitched. Rias smiled knowingly.

"Sorry, Koneko-chan. He's not coming today."

A feeling of sadness overtook her.

"But! If you join my Peerage, you'll get to see him more often!"

Koneko perked up. A moment later, she eyed her friend suspiciously.

"…Really?"

"Yeah, really! He visits my older brother and me all the time!"

She felt a slight pang of jealousy when she heard that the man apparently visited her caretaker of four years more often than he visited her. The whole reason she had agreed to move from Kyoto was because she had been told Harry lived in Kuoh. Her sister had been heartbroken, but also surprisingly understanding. It helped that she was given a charm that let her go to her sister's hidden underground room whenever she wanted. She often took Kunou with her to play with Kuroka, which was enough to appease the other Nekoshou.

"So, interested?"

The petite girl blinked and refocused on the present.

"Rias, sneaky."

"I'm a Devil! It's in our nature!" the girl proclaimed. The redhead leaned forward conspiratorially and beckoned Koneko closer. "Plus, he's gonna be the principal of Kuoh Academy," she whispered. "If you join my Peerage, I bet you'll get to see him every day after class!"

That sealed the deal. Koneko snatched the Rook Piece from the other girl's hands.

"Sure you don't want to be a Bishop?"

"Don't care. Do it now."

Rias smirked in victory.

"Alright! In the name of Rias Gremory…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

"Calm down, Sirzechs. We both knew it was going to happen eventually. Koneko's fine, isn't she?"

The Crimson Satan blinked and realized his beloved little sister was cowering from him in fear. He panicked and reached for her, but she shirked away even more, breaking the poor man's heart. Harry watched her fake acting with amusement.

"NO! No! Wait, Ria-tan, Onii-chan's sorry! Please forgive me!"

Rather than reassure her, his advances made her run away and hide behind Harry. Koneko, who was curled up and happily purring in the wizard's lap, spared a single glance for her new King before she was once again lost in the land of glorious head pats. When another, smaller pair of hands joined in, she ascended to the heights of bliss.

Sirzechs stared forlornly at his little sister, leaning against another man and petting the catgirl in his lap. The more he looked, the more the Satan deflated like a balloon. Eventually, he was in a miserable pile on the floor.

"Grow up, Sirzechs. Ria-tan, go cheer up your brother, will you? If you do, I'll get you ice cream."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Harry-ojisan."

"If you don't, no more Koneko head pats for you."

"Sirzechs-nii, grow up."

Sirzechs deadpanned at the two of them. His expression became even flatter when he saw Harry teleport a small tub of strawberry ice cream into Rias' waiting hands, complete with spoon. When she began feeding it to the purring Nekoshou, he reached critical deadpan capacity and looped back around to his usual cheery self.

"Congratulations on the new Rook, Ria-tan! I'm so proud of you!" he crowed. He was ignored by the three other occupants of the room.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Koneko-chan?" Harry asked.

"Mm… pet more…"

"That means 'yes' in kitty-speak, ojisan."

It was the wizard's turn to deadpan at the two girls.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Koneko looked at Harry questioningly.

"Take it. It's yours."

She hesitantly grabbed the hourglass on a gold necklace from the man's outstretched hand. Something about it called out to her, but at the same time, some part of her knew it meant everything was about to change. She liked the way things were. She liked her daily head pats. She liked seeing him almost every day. It was unreasonable to expect that they would be together forever, especially since he was engaged to Serafall, but that was okay. His fiancé liked her too. Surely, she wouldn't mind sharing her future husband's time?

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's called a Time-Turner. It's a relic of a time long past. I actually made that one myself, along with the one I wear."

"What's it do?"

"Well, you already know mine allows me to duplicate myself."

Oh yeah! If he could make copies of himself, he could easily be with his wife and her at the same time! Why didn't she think of that before?

"Yours allows you to do the same, for a limited time."

…What? She could get double the time with him?

"That's not what I gave it to you for, but I guess it's up to you how you want to use it."

Koneko blushed as she realized she had said that last sentence out loud. She hid her embarrassment by unhooking the necklace and putting it on. As soon as the hourglass hit the center of her chest, she heard her heartbeat in her ears. The world faded away.

" _I will support you until the end."_

Who? Why did that voice sound so familiar?

"Koneko?"

"Master?"

"What? Why are you calling me that? Did Kuroka put you up to it?"

She blinked. Harry was shaking his head. She mentally rewound the conversation in her head. He had told her how it worked, and advised her to use it sparingly in the beginning because it was a dangerous magical artifact that had the potential to cause great harm. He said something about it originally belonging to her anyway. Also, something about how she could break it if she was ever in life-threatening danger.

"Mkay."

"'Mkay'? What?" Harry asked in confusion.

"I'll be careful," Koneko elaborated.

"Oh. Yeah, that's good. Anyway, it'll hurt the first time, and probably the next few as well as you're getting used to it, but pretty soon you'll want to do it all the time."

She deadpanned.

"Harry… perv."

"What? No, wait. Koneko, that's not what I meant!"

The voice she had heard was already forgotten.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Koneko couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She felt off. She remembered feeling the same way several years ago when she'd first been introduced to Rias after an accident that Harry saved her from. She shook her head and tried to focus on the conversation. Back then, the feeling had abated after she slept enough, so it was most likely just her exhaustion catching up with her. Harry's test had been pretty taxing.

With a small start, she realized the wizard had not told her what she'd be doing for the next couple of weeks.

"What about me?" she asked him.

"You, my cute little friend, are going to be learning from none other than Surtr and another furry friend of yours. You will train with him for two weeks, then leave for Kyoto."

Surtr? The Ultimate Rook was going to train her? And a 'furry friend'? That could mean any of the Youkai. What did they have to teach her that she couldn't learn from the strongest Rook of the Underworld? Granted, probably a lot, but if she wanted knowledge that would be immediately useful in the upcoming Rating Games, she was probably better off training in her fundamentals and Rook abilities than her budding Youjutsu.

"…I have every confidence that you will prevail without her."

Wait, what? Koneko was about to protest, but found Harry's finger on her lips. She shot him a look one step below her trademark deader-than-dead deadpan.

"I just remembered! There's this very special festival happening at the end of this month in Kyoto," Harry said, stressing the festival part. "Why, I think it might just include a certain event."

The only festival he could be talking about was the Gion Matsuri. But, what event?

" _Do you plan on attending Obon, Harry-san?"_

" _Not yet. Soon, but not yet."_

Something about Obon bothered her. It was more than just visiting the fake grave of her sister. Every year, she felt like she was being watched by someone she couldn't see. The eyes of the other Youkai were like background noise to that person's stare. It didn't help that towards the end of the mini-festival, she always got rather irritable.

Her chest felt weird. The Time-Turner was warm.

"You could say she's merely being taught how to remember what she's forgotten to feel."

"That's…!"

Koneko's mind blanked. What was going on? It was like she'd skipped forward in time. What were they all saying? Had she agreed? Harry's hand on her head soothed her frayed nerves and she relaxed back against him. Even as Grayfia and Rias said something, she continued to snuggle with him.

" _Your soul… It's hurting so much."_

" _Let me help you."_

" _I have faith in you."_

" _You saved us all once."_

" _I will support you until the end whether you let me or not, Master."_

It was her voice, and yet it wasn't. It was like listening to a distorted audio recording. She remembered a curtain of black, a flash of white, a world without color. She remembered floating, alone in that world, until someone reached out for her. The static cleared.

" _If you do this Shiro, there will be no turning back. You'll be bound to me."_

" _Sounds like a plan!"_

" _I'm serious. My magic won't just let you go."_

" _Did you hesitate when you gave up your own future?"_

" _No, but I'm not normal."_

" _Perfect. I'm a Nekoshou. That means we were made for each other."_

" _Shiro…"_

" _I may be young, Master, but I do not need the wisdom of age to know to do the right thing. I do not need others to tell me to protect those I love. Do not test me further. I am sure."_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

" _So mote it be."_

"You're not paying attention!"

Koneko dodged the backhand by almost doubling over backwards, going into a handstand to kick at her opponent and hopefully gain some distance. Surtr caught one of her legs and attempted to toss her across the sparring arena, but her other foot lashed out and hit his head. The blow stunned him slightly, giving her enough time to focus and perform Castling with the Proto-King Piece on the ground a few meters away.

Surtr grunted and turned around to regard the petite girl with a calculating gaze. In terms of raw strength and durability, he outclassed her so much it wasn't funny. She could spend all day beating on him and he'd walk away without a single bruise. Her only advantage over him was her speed and flexibility, as well as her martial arts. His own style was that of a pure brawler, relying on his physique to see him through to victory. He could outlast and overpower all but the most absurd of opponents, such as Dragons or Super Devils. His giant's constitution even offered him protection against holy energy to an extent, one of a Devil's greatest weaknesses. On top of all of that, he could wield flames hot enough to melt most metals into useless slag.

The current spar was a contest of endurance. Surtr was limited to only his physical abilities, while Koneko was allowed anything in her arsenal, not that she had much else besides her martial arts and Rook-granted physical attributes. As an added element, the Proto-King Piece was always somewhere on the field. Both Rooks could perform Castling with it, though it benefited Koneko much more than it did Surtr, allowing her to escape grapples that would end the match instantly.

Still, she was nearing the end of her rope. Castling was a Rook ability that fell under theological magic, meaning it consumed pure unholy energy. As a reincarnated Devil, her reserves of said energy were relatively low in comparison to her other available reserves. It didn't help that she knew she was fighting a losing battle. She was not expected to win, only to last as long as possible.

The Ultimate Rook smirked. Koneko tensed and lowered her center of gravity. He threw a small object at her, too fast for her to discern what it was. In her rush to get out of its path, she forgot the only thing it could have been. Surtr appeared next to her and grabbed her up in a bear hug. With his crushing strength advantage, there was no way Koneko was able to escape, and the pain prevented her from mustering enough concentration to perform a Castling of her own. She went limp in his arms, signaling her defeat. He let her go immediately, steadying her to keep her from falling over. She stretched and popped a few of her joints.

"Barely twenty minutes. That's not much of an improvement. What's on your mind, little one?"

Koneko glared at the towering man half-heartedly. With his massive two-meter tall frame, it wasn't like his nickname for her was unwarranted. To him, most people were 'little ones'. She supposed she should be happy he didn't go with something more demeaning like 'wee one'.

"Nothing," she lied.

"Now now! Don't be like that!" the Fire Giant boomed. Koneko wished he came with a volume knob. "I can tell when someone's not focused on the fight! It happens to Mathers all the time, that bookworm! You don't seem quite as studious as him though, so I admit I'm a little lost. Are you perhaps having love trouble? Should I get Grayfia?"

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"No, no! You cannot fight with a heavy heart, a heart full of doubt! You must first ease your burden! And I have a fantastic idea! Let me go get Sirzechs; he can call your favorite wizard down here to help!"

"No!" Koneko cried suddenly, before she could stop herself.

"Ohoho… So that's how it is?" Surtr murmured with a smile. "Do not worry, little one! Your secret is safe with me!"

The Nekoshou buried her face in her hands.

" _I approve!"_

Her ears twitched. Who…?

"If that's how it is, then I suppose we had at least better stop for today. Your training with me ends in a week, and you've already mastered Castling as much as could be expected in that time. I have no more to teach you about that. From now on, we'll be working on learning how to properly take advantage of your other Rook attributes."

Koneko nodded to show she was listening.

"Rooks can do more than just Castle! All of the Evil Pieces were imbued with either an active or a passive ability, and some awaken hidden abilities within their hosts!" Surtr lectured. "For Knights, their active ability is Jumping! For Bishops, their passive abilities allow them to Skewer or Pin the opposition! Pawns have Promotion! Queens have the same passive abilities as Bishops, but also come with the power boosts associated with the other Pieces!"

For the umpteenth time, Koneko wished Surtr came with volume settings. Her ears were ringing. Also, that spiel sounded vaguely familiar. She swore she heard it before on some instructional tape.

"Rooks are the only pieces with both an active ability in Castling, and a passive ability in Interference! We nullify the abilities of the other Pieces! As long as we're prepared for it, we can strike a Knight down mid-Jump, and we can render both Skewers and Pins ineffective! If we're in the way, we can even stop other Rooks from Castling! We are the shields that protect our allies and the walls that stop our enemies!" he roared.

"…Pawns?"

"Uhh," the large man faltered. "We uhh, we don't do anything to them. BUT STILL! There's a good reason why we're worth more than the other Pieces!"

"But Queens are worth more."

"STOP INTERRUPTING ME!"

Koneko held her head in pain. The Fire Giant coughed to cover his embarrassment when he saw the petite girl crouched over with her hands covering her ears.

"Ahem. Sorry about that. As I was saying, as Rooks, we naturally have access to more abilities than the other Pieces. You've more or less got the hang of one of them, but that's only half the battle. We'll spend the next week going over the applications of Interference and training your concentration to use both it and Castling!"

Once he saw her nod, he clapped his hands together.

"Good! Go get some rest. I'll see you after breakfast tomorrow!"

The much smaller Rook sighed in relief and dragged her tender body to the showers.

The next day, her entire body ached even more. It was like the first day of their training all over again, her being tossed all over the place by the much bigger and stronger Rook. The only difference was this time she was letting him hit her on purpose. Whenever she tried to hit him back, her abilities inexplicably failed her, which she attributed to lack of practice in using them while on the offensive.

"Concentrate! Like all magic, your abilities are based on intent! You have to want to stop me!"

Koneko was pretty sure she never wanted anything more than to stop the man who felt like he weighed fifty tons from barreling through her on his way to the Proto-King Piece. It didn't stop her from being bulldozed aside as he Castled with it, nor did it make his fireballs hurt any less when she stepped in to block them. If she hadn't been taught about the basic abilities of her Piece by her King, Koneko would have thought the other Rook was bullying her. As it was, it only made it all the more annoying she couldn't seem to harness her passive ability.

Surtr stopped hurling fireballs at the Proto-King Piece when Souji Okita entered the wide-open arena.

"Souji? What are you here for?"

"Just checking up on our dear guest. You aren't mistreating her, are you?" the easygoing man asked. He looked over Koneko critically and regarded his fellow Peerage member flatly. "Surtr-san… why is Neko-chan so hurt?"

"We were practicing Interference!" Surtr shouted in response. "The little one can already block my Castling just fine! She has trouble with me because of how big I am, but against opponents closer to her size, she'll do great!"

Koneko didn't like the way the Godspeed Knight was shaking his head in disappointment.

"Surtr-san, what makes you think you can train Interference? It's a natural ability of Rooks."

"Exactly! It's just like Castling! If you can train one, why can't you train the other?"

Souji casually walked over to the Nekoshou and positioned her in between himself and Surtr. Both Rooks watched him in confusion, though Koneko had a sneaking suspicion what he was about to do.

"If you please, Neko-chan. Pay attention to me as I move. Don't try to attack, just defend. This is important. Are you ready? Don't blink now."

Koneko braced herself, her arms crossed. There was a rush of air, and suddenly the Knight's shoulder was pressed against hers. She hadn't seen him move at all. He took a couple of steps backwards and addressed Surtr once more.

"As you can see, Neko-chan here has somehow magically mastered blocking a Knight's Jumping ability. Did you see me, Neko-chan?"

She shook her head.

"And without being able to see her target, as well. What amazing talent she has as a Rook, wouldn't you say?"

Surtr blinked dumbly. Souji sighed.

"…Did you give her the speech?"

"Word for word!"

The way the Rook boasted about plagiarizing his own speech, which he delivered to a live audience of prospective Rooks and was originally written for him by the Bishop of their Peerage, made the samurai sigh again.

"I told him not to leave you alone, but he was so sure… Grayfia-san will be very displeased with you, Surtr-san. And if the Ojou-sama were to ever find out, even our glorious King would be most displeased with your treatment of her beloved Neko-chan."

The Fire Giant's mouth opened and closed without any sound. He shuddered when he thought of what his King and Queen would do to him. He stomped over to Koneko and grabbed her shoulders desperately.

"Please!" he begged. "Don't tell them! I'm a good teacher, right, little one?! Right?!" He was forced to relinquish his hold when a silver flash nearly took his fingers off.

"Yes, yes," Souji said, resheathing his katana. "You can plead your case to Neko-chan here later." He put one hand on Koneko's shoulder and gently steered her towards one corner of the room.

"Wait! Where are you taking her?!"

"Somewhere the two of us won't have our eardrums blown out by your incessant need to shout everything."

Surtr recoiled as if struck, and then began sulking in the opposite corner of the room. The Nekoshou silently thanked her temporary new favorite person in the whole wide world. Harry could have his spot back once he gave her more head pats.

"Now, Neko-chan. You don't mind me calling you that do you?" Koneko shook her head. He could call her whatever he wanted as long as he didn't beat her up. "Good. Listen carefully. I'm not sure what Surtr told you, but as a Rook, your role is mostly defensive. Your passive abilities allow you to block the abilities of other Pieces, but only if you are not attacking. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good girl. In effect, this means, as long as you aren't trying to attack, you will always be able to stop Castling, Jumps, Skewers, Pins, and even Promotion by either Pawns or Kings."

"Promotion?"

"Yes. Pawns achieve Promotion by entering the heart of enemy territory. In Rating Games, this is most often the enemy's home base or the vicinity of their King. Kings can also force a Pawn to Promote by sacrificing the rest of their Pieces. In practice, if a Pawn is the last remaining Piece, he or she essentially gets a free Promotion. Rooks block this by their mere presence. But remember, it only lasts as long as you don't attack. You lose your Interference by taking offensive action, and you don't get it back until you actively defense against an attack."

Koneko nodded diligently. Souji was a much better teacher than Surtr. No wonder Yuuto was such a good swordsman.

"Very good. You make for an excellent student. If I weren't also training Yuuto-san, I'd offer to take you on. Unfortunately, I do have to be getting back to him now."

She pouted. Did that mean she was back to Giant McShouts-too-much?

"I can see the disappointment clear as day in your features, Neko-chan," he laughed. "Don't worry, I'll get Grayfia-san to have a talk with him later. Why don't you run along and take the rest of the day off? You may also engage in solo training. I will never discourage self-improvement. If you are interested, might I suggest batting cages?"

She looked at him curiously. He smiled.

"Indeed. They're great practice for your kinetic vision. If you're up to it, you can try to dodge the baseballs with as little movement as possible, though I advise to start with hitting them until you can to discern their spin mid-flight. I had Yuuto-san start on the same on his time off, and the idea apparently caught on one day when we were out in public."

He patted her head and walked back towards the still-sulking form of Surtr Second. Koneko smiled at his back and headed off to the showers. Ten minutes later, she walked to the batting cages just outside of one of the many castles in the Gremory Territory in the Underworld. She had always wondered why Devils would be so interested in a human sport they had practice stations outside every major training arena.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Good job, little one! You've made tremendous progress these last two weeks!"

"The way I see it, if not for me, she'd have made no progress at all…" MacGregor stated flatly. Koneko couldn't help but agree with the Bishop's assessment.

Everything Surtr had told her, every exercise and lecture, was apparently a part of an instructional video series authored by Sirzechs' Peerage for the rest of the Devils. It went without saying that MacGregor was responsible for the vast majority of the actual educational part of Surtr's script. The Ultimate Rook's enthusiasm was an excellent draw and motivator, but it made for a terrible teaching tool on its own. He had recycled almost all of his content and condensed what was supposed to be at least ten hour-long sessions worth' of information into three or four conversations, omitting a lot of important facts and outright getting some wrong.

After their conversation near the start of her second week of training, Surtr and Grayfia jointly decided extra help was needed. Thus, MacGregor Mathers was recruited to fact-check the Fire Giant and fill in the blanks in his spare time. Instead of hours of training, followed by lunch, followed by more hours of training, Koneko's days were broken up into relatively calm mornings, a light lunch, and a short lecture from MacGregor before she was set loose to put what she had learned into practice with Surtr. The Proto-King Piece borrowed from Ajuka was much more helpful now that it was being used to help teach her.

"Who, who cares?! She's a much better Rook now, and that's all that matters, right?!" Surtr exclaimed.

Both MacGregor and Koneko deadpanned at him. The Bishop sighed.

"I suppose there is some truth in that." He turned to the Nekoshou. "Congratulations are in order, for surviving Surtr's hellish idea of training for a week, and for making so much progress. Any King would be proud of what you've accomplished these past two weeks."

Koneko smiled.

"But, don't get too content. You still have a long way to go. Though, I guess you don't need to hear that from me." MacGregor cleared his throat. "Your escort to Kyoto should arrive shortly. We're not allowed to be present, so we'll take our leaves now. Best of luck, Ms. Toujou."

With that, he bowed and walked towards the exit of the waiting room.

"Don't worry, little one! You'll be big and strong like me one day! Ha ha ha! Ow!"

She watched in bemusement as the other Rook took a swing at his ally for the conjured ice block that smashed itself into the back of his head. Said ally was unrepentant and teleported away. Surtr shouted insults at him, calling him a coward and a cheat, but his angry shouts were cut off by another teleportation circle that forcibly transported him elsewhere.

Koneko settled down to wait patiently, but a voice spoke before she could even sit down.

"They're a lively bunch, aren't they?"

She blinked.

"Magari-sama?"

"Now now, don't be like that, Shiro-chan," the Nekomata elder said, her form rippling into focus next to the white-haired Nekoshou. "Just call me 'Magari'."

"You're teaching me?"

"Yes, dear Shiro-chan. I am. But we won't be learning what you think. Come along, and I'll show you."

The young-looking woman grasped the younger girl's hand and guided her forward. As the two of them walked, the world faded out of sight around them and was replaced by darkness. A couple more steps and they were standing in the elder's living room. Koneko looked around at the familiar room, devoid of most decorations except for a single empty vase and intricate drawings on the paper of the sliding doors.

Magari let go of the girl's hand, but gestured for her to continue following her as she strode out of the room purposefully. Koneko obeyed, and the two of them soon found themselves in a spacious, underground training room not unlike the one connected to Kuroka's secret room. When they reached the center, Magari sat and indicated a spot across from her. Koneko sat down as well.

"I have many things I would like to teach you, but the first thing we will be learning how to do is meditate," the Nekomata began. At the puzzled look on her student's face, she giggled. "I mean more than just sitting around and thinking, Shiro-chan. You will learn how to see inside of yourself. This will allow you to harness all of your abilities more effectively."

That certainly sounded like a good idea. Koneko nodded eagerly.

"Mm. Then… take a deep breath and relax. At advanced stages of meditation, you will attempt to empty your mind completely, but to start with, focus on something, preferably a solid object you are intimately familiar with, small enough to fit in your hands. Think about its every detail, its every feature. Focus on it to the exclusion of all else. Try it now."

An object, small enough for her to hold? Did the elder know about Harry's gift to her? Was this a transparent ploy to get her to practice using its powers? Koneko shrugged mentally. She had no problems with learning to use her Time-Turner more effectively. She was supposed to keep it hidden, so she couldn't publicly reveal her abilities in a Rating Game, but if the better she got as using it, the more time she could spend with her family in Kyoto.

Koneko closed her eyes and thought about the hourglass. It's golden frame. The white sand inside. She imagined the gold chain necklace it hung on, the disc the hourglass was suspended in the middle of. She wondered why it was called a 'Time-Turner'. After all, only Serafall had to actually turn hers to activate its effects. Both hers and Harry's operated differently. Hers was thought-based. Harry's could achieve a slew of different effects depending on if he struck it, held it, or just thought about it like Koneko did. With a start, she realized she'd lost the image of her original Time-Turner she'd been trying to build. She was about to start over, but she was interrupted.

"Hi!"

Koneko opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything. Everything was black. It wasn't the black of darkness; this was the black of an endless void. She panicked and began shaking. When she blinked, her vision became blurry as colors faded back into the world.

"Shiro-chan, are you okay?"

"Eh?"

The Nekomata elder had both hands on her shoulders, shaking her lightly. When the woman saw Koneko's eyes focus on her, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's quite a meditative state you sank into, Shiro-chan. Tell me, what were you thinking of?"

The white-haired girl's mind blanked.

"Umm."

"Oho? Maybe I should have specified non-living things?" Magari teased.

Koneko blushed.

"…Pervy elder."

Her embarrassed comment only served to make Magari chuckle more.

"Regardless, if you can achieve such a state with so little prompting, then we may be able to move on sooner than I predicted. This is good news."

"Wait," Koneko interjected. "Need more practice."

Magari raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Well, far be for me to accelerate your lessons if you feel you aren't ready. Very well, let us try again. You may as well try removing all thoughts after the first stage of focus, Shiro-chan. I'll watch over you."

Koneko nodded in agreement and closed her eyes again. This time, she tried to think of something else. She wracked her brain for ideas, but came up short. How was it that she had nothing else to focus on except for the Time-Turner? It defied logic. Nothing living, Magari-sama had said. Koneko took that to mean nothing organic either.

"I mean, you can think about trees and stuff if you want. Or you could actually fantasize about Harry. I vote for that option."

Again, she opened her eyes and saw nothing.

"Deep breaths, Koneko-chan. This is your mind. Imagine something like… a bedroom!"

As soon as the bubbly voice spoke, she naturally thought about what it told her. Moments later, she was standing in her bedroom in Yasaka's estate.

"Good! Now, think of your sister!" the voice chirped. "Uh, the older one," it added.

Kuroka appeared with her usual teasing expression in place. She was frozen in place like a sculpture.

"Ooh, we're totally twins. Now give her white hair!"

Done.

"And last but not least, think of your favorite person in the whole wide world!"

Souji Okita appeared.

"Wait, no. Not him. I'm talking about the one that gives you head pats."

Oh. Sirzechs' Knight disappeared and was replaced by Harry, dressed in his usual all-black outfit with a kind smile on his face. The white-haired Kuroka came to life, blinked a few times, and looked down at herself.

"Neat! To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if that would work."

Koneko blinked as well.

"Who…?"

"Shh!"

The older-looking Nekoshou turned towards the smiling Harry and pounced on him. As soon as she made contact, the illusion of the man shattered.

"Aww. I was hoping for sexy fun times, nya."

"Kuroka…?"

"Hm? Oh no. I'm not her. Actually, I'm you! Past you!"

Koneko deadpanned at the white-haired version of her sister.

"Oh, you wanna play that way? Well I can do that too!"

Her trademark deadpan looked unnervingly well-suited for her sister's facial features. Koneko blinked first and turned away.

"Hah! I win!"

"…Creepy. Leaving."

"Wait, nonononono! Don't go! I'll be good, I promise!"

The white-haired Kuroka tackled her to the ground and clutched her tightly. Koneko's struggles ultimately proved fruitless as her sister had always been stronger than her.

"Not true, actually. We learned Senjutsu first."

What? How did-

"Your mind. We're in it. I can tell what you're thinking, as long as it's coherent enough."

Wait, did that mean she knew all of her innermost thoughts?

"Only if you think them. On that note, what do you think of Harry, anyway? Specifically, have you seen him naked?"

Koneko involuntarily pictured the one time she'd seen him shirtless. What would it have been like to cuddle with him and get head pats then?

"Ooooh! Though, as much as I like head pats, I can think of other, more fun things to do…"

"LEAVING."

"NOOO! I'M SORRY!"

It was like talking to a carbon copy of her sister, except with white hair. She wasn't sure she ever wanted the voice in her head to meet her actual sister. Or her foster sister. Kunou was too innocent.

"Keep thinking that, Koneko-chan. Who do you think she plays with when you're not around?"

Oh no. It was already too late!

"Nyahaha, join the dark side!"

Koneko shook her head wildly and stopped thinking about her sister corrupting her other sister.

"Too bad, that would have been interesting."

"Who are you?" the petite Nekoshou asked.

"I told you already!" her bustier counterpart replied. "I'm you from like, six years ago! Well, I guess my boobs were a bit smaller back then, and I might have been a little shorter too, but this is what I should look like now! What you should look like!"

The deadpan was back. Obviously, she was going insane from meditation. She needed sleep.

"Cut that out! Quit making me think I'm insane! Er. That's how that works, right? Never mind!"

Insane, and also scatterbrained. A horrible combination. Strange, usually sleep deprivation just made her, well, sleepy.

"Koneko-chan, I'm trying to be serious here."

She decided to try an experiment. If this was her mind, she could do what she wanted, right?

"Oh. Harry's back. Hi!"

Instead of being an inanimate sculpture, Harry walked over to her and gave her head pats. They felt just as nice as she remembered them feeling. Old favorite person status returned. He sat down so she could settle herself in his lap too. How nice of him!

"…So, now that we're both relaxed and stuff, are you ready to listen?"

Did the voice in her head come with a mute button?

"Hey! First, that's not nice, and second, no!"

"Annoying."

"I know you are, but what am I? Gah, stop! I'm trying to be serious!"

"Sirius is my godfather, and I'm Harry."

Not-Kuroka deadpanned at the illusion. Yes, that had been worth it. Who knew Harry's terrible puns would ever come in handy? She saw the appeal in making others listen to them. She would still hate it whenever he rattled one off, but from now on, she'd laugh with him as long as he was using them to infuriate people other than her.

The older-looking Nekoshou sighed.

"If you're quite done, it's about time you learned about the consequences of your actions."

Meh.

"You're going to die soon."

Her train of thought ground to a halt.

"What?" she asked, the first word she'd spoken out loud in a while.

"Got your attention now? Finally! The sealing and bonding process did a number on you, but long story short, your time is almost up."

"…What?" she repeated.

"Look. Koneko. No, Shiro. You won't remember this until it's time, but it's important you listen carefully. I'm not kidding. I give it two weeks, tops, before your soul can't handle the burden of supporting someone else's. When that time comes, you're dead."

What was she talking about? Who was she supporting?

"Harry, naturally. You're one of his supports, made from his self-sacrifice to save your life."

"I'm… How…?"

"Ask him yourself. It's not important right now. Right now, you need to know a couple of things."

Wasn't she just going to forget them?

"You'll remember later. Trust me. Pay attention. I don't have much power here, but I can do this."

Koneko found herself bound in place. The world faded to black again. Only the white-haired version of Kuroka remained, breathing heavily. She couldn't even look anywhere else. She couldn't see her body, and it felt like it wasn't there.

"…Wow, that… took more than I thought… Ahem. As I was saying, you're helping Harry out. I, technically you, agreed because I thought he was worth saving. His plan involves sacrificing himself, like all of his plans apparently do, that idiot. I swear he has a messiah complex. But, lucky for him, he has friends! Well, one friend, really, who was responsible for this. One friend and one really powerful god that the friend got the idea from."

God? As in, God?

"Yes, that God. But, in order for his friend's plan to save him, Harry needs twelve people. Otherwise, it's back to Plan A: be a self-sacrificing idiot."

She didn't want Harry to sacrifice himself. She liked Harry.

"Good! Me too! Tell him that sometimes. He may seem all cool and stoic and stuff, but he's just as mushy as the rest of us! Anyway, I agreed to be one of them. And since I'm you and you're me, that means you're… uh, me. Wait. Darn it, I had a much better way of saying this…"

Was she really like this before? She couldn't imagine talking this much or being this ditzy.

"Hey! Ditzy is cute, 'kay. Trust me. And yes, Kuroka actually took after you that way. Kinda to preserve your memory, I'd bet. Too bad it'll be a while before you're the chatterbox I am, but I have faith!"

Faith…

"I need to stop side-tracking myself. Seriously. Okay, let's start over. Koneko, or Shiro, whichever. You're going to die in about two weeks from overburdening your soul. Ironically, the only way to stop it is to accept death. The strength of a soul that has accepted its own end is a strength all its own. By doing so, you'll complete the growth process of your artifact and pass the bond on. Or, you can complete the bond yourself if you really want to be with Harry."

Growth… Bonding…?

"Oh no, I'm losing you. Nonono! Wait! Uhh, what else…? Right! The Time-Turner! It's the artifact! Don't break it before it's done, no matter what you do! It'll activate the failsafe and terminate the bond early!"

Artifact…

"Ahhhhh, I messed around too much! I wanted to tell you all sorts of things! Like what your Mom looked like! Or, where I hid Kuro's clothes that one time! Or, the first time you met Harry!"

Harry?

"Oh? Connection got stronger for a bit there. Wait, yeah, yeah! Stay with me! The first time you and Kuro met with him was when in the original world! He actually met all you guys there while he was stuck in that stupid spell his government cast! He went out of his way to change the world for us, so you better be grateful! If not for him, Kuroka would be a Stray Devil… Wait, no, don't go yet!"

Koneko closed her eyes.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Lord Orion bent down and picked up the unconscious Nekoshou, his armor eerily silent. A calico cat sat on his shoulder, licking its paw and using it to smooth down some fur on top of her head.

"You're early," Magari noted.

"I'm not officially coming here until tomorrow," he replied as he carried Koneko off. His footsteps took him from the sparring room into a guest room. He laid her down on a futon.

"Are you participating in Obon this year?"

It was their little code. Every year, she'd ask the same question, disguised as another. This year, he finally answered yes.

"I am."

The cat nodded.

"Then I will make preparations."

"Please do."

"If any harm comes to them, I will haunt you until the End of the world."

"I would never harm them, or anyone else I cared about."

Lord Orion turned and teleported away with a flourish of his cloak, leaving the cat to leap to the floor next to the peacefully sleeping Nekoshou. A moment later, Magari was knelt beside the white-haired girl, stroking her hair gently.

"…And you wonder why they bonded with you the first time," she whispered. "A bond does not forget, Master. And a bond forged across Time is eternal."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Choose, 'Shiro'," Naberius said.

Koneko remembered what Kiba had told her. What it was like to finally give in. What his thought process had been on the brink of his 'death'. She remembered everything now. The conversation with her past self was fresh in her mind. Now was when she would choose. No doubt Harry had engineered the situation.

"I…!"

She gripped the Time-Turner.

'I won't give up. I'll protect you!' They were the words she wanted to say, but couldn't. How selfish had she been back then? Shiro wanted so badly to have been the one to say those words. Her soul had cried them out without her thinking about it. It had led to her sister's sacrifice. They were the same words Koneko wanted to say now, but couldn't.

'I love you. Thank you for waiting all this time. I'm sorry it took me so long.' They were the words Koneko said in her heart, an apology and a thank you to her sister that had sacrificed so much. They were the words Shiro planned on saying first once she got a chance.

"Choose!" Naberius demanded.

"Kuroka…"

The soul remembers.

A world away, they were born just as sisters. Her sister discovered the planned experiments and, with no other options, killed Naberius. She ran, leaving her beloved little sister in the care of the only one she felt she could trust at the time, and was branded a criminal. Their names really had been Kuroka and Shirone. The Nekoshou race was on the verge of extinction.

A lifetime ago, they were born twins. Her sister never found out about the planned experiments until it was too late. When offered the choice, she chose to sacrifice herself. But somehow, her sister broke free of her servitude and killed Naberius. The hunting party sent after her died of mysterious causes, except for one. She was pronounced dead. This time, they were born Kuro and Shiro. As Nekoshou, they were not expected to live beyond their first years, not given true names until it was certain they would survive until adulthood.

"So that's it then. Well, you've made your choice. Say your last words."

Her choice had never been a choice at all. Her sister's choice wasn't a choice. She would have done the same thing. After all, weren't they sisters?

Koneko had cried. Shiro had cried. Begged and pleaded for a miracle. A world away, Koneko's prayers were never answered, the End taking her life and the lives of all her friends and family. A lifetime ago, Shiro met the man who promised to save them both, and gave them a second chance. They would do all they could to ensure he got his happy ending too.

"Shiro-chan… It's okay."

Koneko looked at her sister one more time. She firmed her resolve.

"Kuro-kaa, I'm sorry."

The artifact was ready. Koneko closed her eyes as she held it tightly.

" _Tempus…"_ she intoned clearly.

" _It's my fault they died."_

She quite liked her old name, actually. If Kuroka got to choose hers, then she would do the same.

" _Your soul will never withstand that."_

Kuroka. 'Black Sound'. What was that thing her sister used to call her? Shiro-nee?

" _Master, is that really what you want to do?"_

Shiro-nee. Shirone. 'White Song'. Yeah. That was a good name. Shirone it was.

" _I'll take your burden too."_

She broke the hourglass in half.

" _When all is said and done, who will save you?"_

 _Harry turned to the other entity and smiled. "I have faith. You should try it sometime."_

 _The other entity stared for a moment, before breaking out into hearty laughter._

Two voices overlapped.

" _Emancipare…!"_


	28. Interlude - Ceremonies

**Interlude – Ceremonies**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc)**

* * *

"So, your real name is Loup Garou?"

"I prefer 'Rugal', actually."

Sona exhaled. The werewolf sitting with her in the waiting room was as unflappable as ever.

"Your parents weren't very imaginative with their naming, were they?"

"I like to think they were practical. At least I wasn't named after a holiday."

"What?"

"Inside joke. Don't worry about it."

She gave up trying to strike a conversation with the naturally-silent man and looked around the specially-constructed zone of Heaven. It was everything she expected it would be, with fluffy golden clouds and so much light it nearly hurt her eyes. At the same time, it was also like the Underworld. She didn't know if all of Heaven was industrialized, but this section at least resembled a fairly metropolitan city on Earth, with high-rises and skyscrapers forming an interesting skyline along with the much shorter buildings next to them. She saw more than a few churches and cathedrals in the distance. The only difference was the empty streets.

Her attention was drawn by Michael entering the room. She jumped to her feet, but the leader of the Angels was quick to hold his hands up to calm her down. The werewolf shivered a bit when the man passed by him, but otherwise didn't acknowledge his existence.

"They're all going to be fine," he said once he reached her, preempting her questions.

Sona let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Other than young Saji, the rest are awake and should be fully healed by now if you wish to see them. I'm afraid he will have to stay with us for a while longer as we purify him. It's a difficult and time-consuming process to work around his Devil nature, but there are no inherent risks. Unfortunately, he will not be available for the coming tournament."

"I'm not worried about that. I don't have a chance with nii- I mean, Lord Orion participating anyway."

"Don't hold back on my account," Loup Garou spoke up. "I already know the secret behind the armor."

"How…?" Sona began.

"The Master cannot submit to another. His magic won't let him."

Michael nodded.

"Indeed. If you knew the implications of Mr. Potter's other alias, it would naturally follow that he could not possibly serve under another entity. Your mind is rather sharp, young man."

Loup Garou visibly shook as he was addressed.

"Does my presence offend you?" the Angel asked gently.

"No. I have a… more refined sense for magic. Yours registers as… wrong to me. Frankly, I'm surprised she's not reacting," the werewolf answered, looking at Sona.

"I don't feel anything out of the ordinary, though?" she said.

"Hmm. Well, I won't make you uncomfortable for any longer then. Ms. Sitri, if you'll follow me. Mr. Greyback, you are welcome to stay here if you would like."

Sona nodded vigorously and turned to her companion. Loup Garou crossed his arms and frowned.

"No thanks," he declined, "I've gotta get going too. I was only here to check on things and report them back anyway. See ya."

He retrieved a scarlet-red badge with gold lettering on it out of his pocket and pressed it to his chest. A teleportation circle materialized under his feet. Moments later, he was gone, leaving both Sona and Michael looking at empty space.

"Interesting. I had not thought Magicians were capable of teleporting in and out of Heaven so easily. Perhaps I should accompany Mr. Potter on his excursion?" the Angel said contemplatively.

"First, can I see my Peerage please?" Sona reminded him.

"Ah, right. I have other business to attend to as well. Heaven doesn't run itself, after all. This way…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Harry… need to talk."

The Wizard smiled at the white-haired Nekoshou standing in the doorway.

"Yes we do, Shirone. I see you're still as verbose as ever."

She padded softly into the lavish bedroom, seating herself in his lap like always. He stared at her bemusedly. She ignored him and relaxed. Everything was right again.

"I'm relieved you haven't changed much, but at the same time I'm not sure this behavior is appropriate anymore."

Shirone turned her head to look at him. Due to her new height, she actually had to look down a little to meet his eyes when she was sitting on his legs.

"Master… pedophile?"

"That's not funny, Shirone."

She smiled in return and grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her head. Acquiescing to the unspoken request, Harry began to stroke her hair and scratch behind her twitching pair of cat ears. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's silent company. A low purr rumbled in the back of the Nekoshou's throat as her tail waved back and forth idly. Eventually though, she forced herself to speak.

"You okay?" she asked seriously.

Harry didn't answer right away, continuing to pet her for a bit longer. He felt a hand stop his while another laid itself on his chest. Shirone sank downwards and curled up against him.

"I'm fine, Shirone. You don't need to worry about me," he insisted. The woman in his lap disagreed.

"Soul's… getting full again."

"Ah. That's right, I never Obliviated you, did I?"

"Don't," she said firmly, grip tightening on his shirt.

"I won't," he assured her. "I'm done using that as a stopgap. I've only used it on Serafall, and she basically has all her memories back now. Other than me, nobody should have parts of their memories sealed." He resumed petting her. "Unless they're fighting against me of course. No promises then."

"Mm…"

Harry frowned slightly. In truth, he'd prefer not to use it on himself either, but his soul could only hold so much. The Tyrant Pieces were helping, but even they had limits. Without drastic measures, he wouldn't be remembering much else now that he'd recovered his abilities. Most had been sealed for good reason, being self-damaging or having other adverse side effects, but it was a manageable sacrifice as long as he used them in moderation.

"Harry…"

"Hmm?"

"Take me now?"

He paused. Shirone adjusted herself in his lap so that she was straddling him.

"Already did Kuroka."

"Careful, Shirone. The double entendre is becoming a bit strong."

The Nekoshou blushed, but refused to budge.

"Got permission from Rias."

"And I got permission from Sirzechs," he said, smiling once more. She blinked at him. "Luckily, I happened to have someone more than willing to take your place in his sister's Peerage. She's being introduced to her new Rook as we speak. I still have to contact Asgard, but Rose promised to help out. Also, the rest of your friends wished you well and want you to visit them even though you're not allowed to be part of their club anymore."

Shirone had begun tearing up towards the end of his explanation. She threw herself at him, hanging onto him when he tried to remove her from his lap. Harry sighed and tried halfheartedly to push her off again. She shook her head and hugged him with all of her not insignificant strength. He silently thanked Kuroka for giving him a crash course on Senjutsu the day before. The dark-haired Nekoshou had taken great pleasure in teasing him with her naked form. It had been worse because she had apparently been telling the truth about the best way to learn the art. Their physical intimacy only went as far as her draping herself on his back, but she had taken the small victory and made him promise to train more in the future.

"Is this going to be a recurring thing?" he asked nobody in particular. The sniffling woman in his arms didn't answer, as expected. He took a deep breath. "Thank you, Shirone. For helping me with everything. I won't bother asking you if you want out at this point. Instead…"

A black and white Rook appeared in his hand.

"I, Harry Potter, command thee, Shirone," he intoned. "Thy soul be bound unto mine, our fates be shared, our destinies woven as one. If thou wouldst accept this contract, answer my call and be mine forevermore, till death do us part."

Shirone sighed as she felt the Piece enter her body. She closed her eyes and watched it bond with her soul, next to the fragment of Harry's that she had absorbed from her broken Time-Turner. With this, the process was complete. So long as she still lived, she would never be separated from him for long. She was one his anchors to the world now, an essential part of his existence. Just like he was to her. The man who had saved her and her sister both from the void.

"Sleep, Shirone. I'll be there when you wake up."

The world faded away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"We're not turning our wedding vows into a magically-binding oath," Harry said flatly.

"But, your fiancé said-"

"Michael, I can't for the life of me imagine what possessed you to take my wife seriously, but please do me a favor and set aside any lingering discontent between us just for this and be sensible. This is the third time you've asked me."

"To be fair, it does sound like something you would do."

"Sirzechs, I… can't refute that, but still, no. This is a perfectly normal wedding." Six people, a mix of Devil, Angel, and Fallen, deadpanned at him. "Don't look at me like that, guys, c'mon. I can do things normally sometimes." When they didn't relent, he huffed irritably and adjusted his collar. Mephisto reached out and tried to smack his hands away, but the Wizard stepped out of reach. When Ajuka tried to do the same to his, the Devil Magician used magic to stop him. He would have done the same to Harry, but every time he tried the more experienced man blocked it.

The various male leaders of the Three Biblical Factions and the Magician's Council looked at each other and broke out into laughter at the expression on Ajuka's face. All of the men were dressed in formal tuxedos, standing in one of the waiting rooms of Ajuka's mansion in the Underworld. Despite the fact that their outfits were almost identical except for Michael, who was the only one wearing a white tuxedo, each of the men gave off a different air. The lone Angel wore his the most gracefully, his demeanor calm and peaceful.

Sirzechs looked even more regal than he usually did when his little sister wasn't involved. Azazel was by far the most uncomfortable in his clothing, and didn't even bother to wear it properly. The Fallen's shirt was only tucked in because Mephisto had cast a spell on it. Speaking of the Devil Magician, Mephisto wore his tuxedo the most elegantly. He held himself the complete opposite of Michael in that he was a flurry of activity, rushing about the room correcting everyone else's clothing, and was clearly the most flamboyant of the bunch with his heterochromatic eyes and hair. Falbium stood off to the side with a disgruntled expression. His attempts to busy himself with his job were derailed by Serafall, who somehow managed to find him no matter where in the world he was and drag him to the dress rehearsals. If everyone else gave off some sort of impression that told others how used they were to ultra-formal occasions, then Falbium was the perfect middle ground. He was stiff, but not as much as Azazel; he walked with a certain refinement, but was not like Michael or Mephisto.

The other two men in the room, the grooms, wore their outfits differently as well. Ajuka kept his mysterious air, though it was tinged with exhaustion. Harry, having gone through the process several hundred times as groom, best man, or just plain old guest of honor, was much more relaxed. More than anyone else there, he wore his tuxedo like a second skin, even if he didn't particularly like it. During the first rehearsal dinner, Ajuka had made the mistake of saying he didn't need the practice. Griselda and Gabriel had pounced on him together and arranged for two additional rehearsals, with Serafall quickly agreeing. Today was the third dress rehearsal in as many days for the two weddings that would take place the day after tomorrow.

"Did you know Hades is attending your wedding?" Azazel asked offhand.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Mine?"

"Why would he attend mine?" Ajuka replied.

"Who invited him?"

"Take a guess," Sirzechs said. "She probably sent ordered invitations sent to everyone she possibly could. As Satan of Foreign Affairs, that's a lot of people. It might be the largest wedding in the history of the Underworld."

"I don't know about that, but you're definitely in the running for most varied attendance," Falbium supplied.

"This was supposed to be a small event…" Harry complained.

"My, what amusing delusions you have," Mephisto drawled. "Two of the Satans are getting married on the same day. Their spouses are the first reincarnated Angel and one of the most prominent human Magicians in the world, a Magician who supposedly serves under the most powerful human Magician alive, the only human with a Peerage. Both events will be televised internationally on every magical channel available, and every member of the Three Factions will be watching. That's not even including the Magicians, the Youkai, and the other pantheons."

"And you're okay with this, Ajuka?"

The Satan shrugged.

"I'm used to the limelight. I've been in it for centuries at this point. If anything, I'm surprised you're so adamantly against public appearances. As I recall, you fought Serafall tooth and nail to appear on her show as Lord Orion instead of yourself."

"That was for practical reasons too. I couldn't afford to draw attention to myself back then."

"But you've never liked the public eye," Ajuka insisted. "You didn't want credit for your improvements to the Evil Piece System."

"Everything you did in service to the Four Great Satans was done under an alias of some sort," Sirzechs said thoughtfully.

"And recently, you also wanted your name omitted from the reports on the invasion," Falbium added. "You gave all credit to Serafall instead. Only the highest echelons of the Youkai knew you participated in the defense at this point, though anyone who knew you went there in the first place would put two and two together."

"Your dislike of publicity is at odds with your dislike of subtlety, it seems," Mephisto chimed in. "If you truly wanted to be secretive, why not switch your abilities with that of Lord Orion somehow? I'm sure you could have spun the story that way."

"I feel like I'm at a disadvantage here…" Harry muttered. He turned to Michael. "Does Heaven have an opinion on my actions?"

"I speak for all of Heaven when I say we have had as little to do with you as possible in the past," the Angel said with a smile.

"Smart move," Ajuka quipped.

The other men laughed.

"Fine, I see how it is," Harry said, laughing with them. "Unfortunately, you're all stuck with me now, so you better get used to it."

Sirzechs scoffed.

"It feels like I've known you almost as long as I've known Ajuka. I couldn't imagine life without you, Master!"

"Careful, Sirzechs. You're already spoken for."

The Crimson Satan spluttered at his friend's reply, Ajuka's joke interrupting Harry's reflexive protest at his title being used. The collective chuckles of the rest of the men stopped when they heard knocking. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Grayfia dressed in something other than her usual maid outfit. It had taken the combined powers of both Serafall and Griselda to force the other woman to don a formal dress for the rehearsal dinners.

"Gentlemen, are you ready to go?"

"Ah, don't be so formal, Grayfia," her husband said.

"D'you think she heard us?" Azazel asked loudly. Sirzechs glared at him.

"Heard what?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all! C'mon guys, let's get going! Dinner awaits!"

Ajuka elbowed Harry lightly.

"Soon, that'll be us," he whispered.

"You forget I've dealt with Serafall for longer than you've known her. Good luck with Griselda," Harry replied with a smirk. The other man frowned, but it was replaced with a grin when they saw the subjects of their conversation waiting outside.

"No matter what, it'll be worth it."

"And that, Ajuka, is why we'll have happy marriages."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"This is your idea of a bachelor party?"

"I should have known better than to trust you with this…"

Sirzechs looked insulted.

"It's not my fault you two decided to move your wedding dates up! I had this awesome thing planned for when all of this eventually blew over, but then you guys just dropped this on me! Like, 'Hey Zechs, guess what? We're getting married in a couple of weeks! Surprise!' What was I supposed to do?"

There was more alcohol on the long table than Harry had ever seen in one place, ever. Coming from him, that was saying a lot. He saw multiple bottles of every type of alcohol from every year for centuries back. The redhead had teleported them into the room and showed it all off with immense pride.

"What did Ajuka do for your party?" the Wizard asked curiously.

"I'm pretty sure we visited every strip club in Hell and several in the Americas too," Ajuka answered him. "I wouldn't be surprised if all of the more recent bottles here were acquired then."

Harry looked back and forth between the two Satans. Ajuka had a hand on his forehead, while Sirzechs was grinning widely. The two of them were obviously of two different minds about the experience.

"Still, just us? I understand I wasn't the most social of people, but I expected at least a few other Devils."

Sirzechs' grin fell somewhat.

"Ajuka's worse than you, and he doesn't have a Peerage for me to invite," he complained. "He even told me not to invite mine!"

"I resent that. If you didn't have a Peerage, it would have been just us at your party too. And if we invited your Peerage, it'd turn into another strip club tour!"

The Crimson Satan rounded on his friend.

"What's wrong with that? D'you even remember those twin strippers Beowulf went off with?"

"What are you talking about?" Ajuka asked flatly. "Didn't Beowulf get smashed like an hour in?"

"He woke up later! And landed twins!"

"…You didn't hire strippers, did you?" Harry interrupted.

"Don't worry, man!" Sirzechs reassured him. "I have as many as either of you want on call just in case, and I even got permission from Grayfia too! We can even go tour strip clubs later! I'm not a V.I.P. at most of them anymore, but being a Satan's got to count for something, right?" He laughed boisterously. "We can't get too wild since the wedding's tomorrow, but with the wonders of magic, we can get as drunk as we want! So now, we drink!"

He grabbed the nearest bottle, wine if Harry's guess was correct, and poured some into three large glasses that appeared out of nowhere. He raised his.

"Cheers, to happy unions! Whoever drinks the most gets the bottle!"

Two hours later, there were three small mountains of empty bottles on the floor. One of them was noticeably larger than the others. Both Satans grumbled as Harry added another to his growing pyramid.

"You're cheating somehow," Sirzechs accused.

"I concur," Ajuka said. "There's no way you aren't dying of alcohol poisoning by now."

"Have the two of you considered I just have much higher tolerance?" the Wizard asked archly.

Sirzechs snapped.

"I'll show you 'tolerance'!" the Crimson Satan shouted, his cheeks almost as red as his hair. He jumped up from his seat and blasted all three piles with his Power of Destruction, vaporizing them. His two friends deadpanned at him as he ran off to one end of the table. He returned with a familiar case of what looked like beer. Harry recognized it as the same beer that always got Sirzechs dead drunk with a single can.

"This is the most potent alcohol in the Underworld!" he exclaimed, slamming it down in between the three of them.

"Sirzechs…"

"Fine. I'll go first."

Ajuka looked at the Wizard in shock as he popped the tab off of a can. Sirzechs watched smugly, waiting for the inevitable, at least in his mind.

"Harry, that's not made for human consumption," Ajuka advised.

His warning was ignored. Both Devils watched as Harry began chugging the beer. They were surprised when he didn't immediately start coughing or throwing up. After a couple of seconds, they were surprised when he didn't keel over or even sway slightly. When the man crushed the empty can in his hand, their stares were incredulous.

"No way…" Sirzechs said woodenly.

"Well?" Harry asked with a smug smile of his own. "Your turn."

"Sirzechs, the best man is supposed to be the responsible one. Don't fall for it."

Once again, Ajuka's warning was ignored. The Crimson Satan snatched his own can and popped it open, beginning to down its contents. The redhead emptied it in the same time as his drinking opponent and slammed the empty can onto the table. He hiccupped. Harry smirked and reached for another can. Sirzechs stopped him.

"Wait! Ajuka, it's your turn!"

"…No. One of us has to keep his wits about him here, and the two of you evidently aren't up to the task."

"I have it on good authority that Griselda appreciates men who can hold their alcohol," Harry mentioned idly. Ajuka turned to him. "In fact, she's very fond of drinking herself.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"The soul doesn't lie. How about this? I solemnly swear on my magic that Griselda absolutely loves to drink, AND she plans on asking to share a couple cans of this very alcohol on your honeymoon. So mote it be."

Ajuka's eye twitched at the flash of light. He grabbed the can from Harry's hand.

"Rumor is the record's four cans. The fifth gave the guy alcohol poisoning," Sirzechs stage-whispered.

"Five it is," his friend said resolutely.

The Wizard and Crimson Satan smiled at each other in victory as their mutual friend popped the can open and began drinking it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Harry smirked when he saw Ajuka shuffling nervously at the altar. The other man's wedding was first thing in the morning, while his own was in the afternoon. The order had been a secret until after yesterday's rehearsal dinner, at which point Serafall and Griselda had revealed the actual times. Both refused to reveal the reasoning behind their decision. In the end, their spouses had obediently agreed and gone along with whatever their significant others wanted.

"I'm never letting him live it down," Sirzechs said after taking his position as the best man, standing next to Falbium and Lord Astaroth. Harry didn't even have to enhance his hearing to catch what the two Satans were saying from his seat in the front row.

"Live what down?" the other Satan asked.

"We had a drinking contest last night. He lost."

"To you?"

"…Yes, he lost to me," Sirzechs said, shit-eating grin failing slightly at the implied insult to his own alcohol tolerance. It returned full force when he remembered what had happened that morning. "Grayfia woke the two of us up. He told her to, and I quote, 'fuck off'."

Harry and Falbium winced.

"Yep, that's right. I don't think I've ever seen her that angry. He's been begging her not to tell Griselda for hours now."

"You don't feel sorry for him at all?"

"Not one bit. He deserves it."

"What could he have possibly done to deserve that?"

"I can hear you two, y'know," Ajuka said to them.

"Um, so can we," one of the women on the other side of the aisle said timidly.

Harry and the others were introduced to her at the first of the rehearsal dinners. Mirana Shatarova, Gabriel's Ace of Hearts, wore a white gown like the rest of the bridesmaids, the color accentuating her grey-blue eyes. Her long blonde hair hung over her shoulders and obscured the exposed cleavage of her above-average chest. She was a naturally shy and timid individual, though she was steadfastly loyal to Gabriel and Heaven and was willing to do almost anything in the name of the Lord. Harry didn't remember much about her background other than that she used to be a nun like Asia.

"Now, now. We're in the middle of the ceremony," Gabriel chided them. Her dress was more elaborate than the others as the maid of honor, the gold embroidering matching her own golden-blonde hair. Her silver circlet was on her forehead, the small gems adding to her beauty. Next to her, Serafall pouted cutely at all the attention the other woman was getting.

"Ahem. If you're all quite done…"

The people standing at the front quieted at the reprimand from the leader of the Seraphs. The rest of the crowd sitting in the pews laughed. Michael smiled with an exasperated look on his face.

"Honestly, I wonder why we are bothering with the formalities at all," he said. His sister was quick to offer her own admonishment.

"Michael! It's important to Griselda!"

"Of course, sister. I did not mean to imply otherwise," he responded in a placating manner. "I was referring to the fact that this could have been conducted in a much more informal setting. I know for a fact that Ms. Quarta does not care for publicity, even if Mr. Beelzebub is used to it."

"Ah, well. I'm sorry?" Ajuka offered.

"It was not meant to implicate you." Michael waved his apology off.

The magic circles serving as cameras zoomed out again from their close-ups of the groom. The massive orchestra transitioned to the next piece of the wedding march, from 'Canon in D' to 'Here Comes the Bride'. All idle chatter immediately stopped as the wooden doors of the cathedral opened for the second time that morning, to reveal Griselda in her resplendent wedding gown.

Ajuka swallowed heavily.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The crowd was in a quiet uproar. The number of magic circles was at least triple the number that had been present for the wedding earlier that morning. At the front, next to the altar, Harry stood in his tuxedo, absently listening to the orchestra cycle through the loop of Pachelbel's 'Canon in D'. He was amused that the instruments had to be enchanted to keep playing for a moment as their owners lost their collective minds.

"Hmm. There seems to be much more coverage than expected. Care to comment?" he asked.

"Serafall's more beloved than I am," Ajuka said with a straight face.

"There are more Magicians than there are Angels," Mephisto added, equally serious.

"There are more humans than there are members of all of the Three Factions combined," Azazel chimed in. He was valiantly fighting back his own laughter. The way the crowd exploded had been rather funny.

"It could be because you have me, Ajuka, Mephisto, Azazel, AND Michael as groomsmen," Sirzechs observed primly. His wide grin wasn't fooling anyone, nor was his not-so-subtle elbowing of the groom.

"Maybe it's because I'm reading the rites?" Gabriel tried. Hers was the only honest attempt. Harry silently blessed her in his heart. To his surprise, she turned and smiled at him.

"I'd wager it has something to do with your best man," Michael deadpanned. "And I'll thank you to stay away from my sister. You have enough women after you." The normally calm and gentle man gave him the evil eye, which on him just looked wrong.

"I'm sure I have no earthly idea what you are talking about," Harry said. Interesting. The Seraphs could hear his blessings even though he hadn't attached them to any particular pantheon?

"Personally, I find the attention bothersome."

"It is only to be expected, Lord Orion," Grayfia said from her position opposite her husband.

At the acknowledgement that yes, his copy was standing there, unarmored, disguised as his namesake, Harry finally let his own face break out in a grin even wider than Sirzechs'. His copy suppressed the urge to do the same.

Sirius Orion Black looked downright respectable, clean-shaven and with his untamed hair actually held in place with copious amounts of styling gel. His tuxedo was the only one of its kind, coattails extending down to the back of his knees and gold embroidering matching the gold flecks in his eyes, a cosmetic effect designed to add to his air of inhumanity. He exuded an otherworldly aura of raw magic that helpfully disrupted any magic circles that tried to capture his image directly. When he had first walked into the cathedral, the silence had been deafening.

"Harry, who is that?" Sona asked flatly.

"Sirius Orion Black, at your service," the copy introduced himself. "I'm his godfather."

This set off a new wave of murmurs through the crowd.

"Are you really…?"

"Yes," he confirmed. "Don't waste my time with unnecessary questions." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "And don't ruin my fun."

The undisguised Harry could tell the heiress was not happy, but he wasn't going to give up this opportunity to honor his godfather's memory. Sirius had been at every single one of Harry's weddings; he wasn't going to let the man miss one now. The ring holding the Resurrection Stone sat on one of Sirius' fingers, temporarily retrieved from his soon-to-be wife so that the memory could be recorded and preserved perfectly from his eyes. She hadn't minded when he explained it properly. It might have helped that she was in the middle of post-coital bliss at the time, but hey.

Lord Orion was famous, or perhaps infamous, for being a very private person. The Magicians in attendance were trying their best to dismantle what they thought was an obscuring spell around the man so they could remember his face for later. Any pictures, digital or otherwise, that were taken came out blurry, and losing focus on the man made people forget everything about him besides his voice, which was unhelpful since they heard it from within Lord Orion's armor all the time. The various Devils looked torn between courtesy towards the ceremony and the need to ingratiate themselves to the man and perhaps gain his favor. The Angels literally waiting in the wings remained stoic, while the few Fallen scattered throughout the crowd watched the whole spectacle with unconcealed amusement.

"How long d'you figure they'll keep gawking?" Azazel wondered.

"At this rate, we might as well proceed in spite of them," Sirzechs remarked.

Sirius coughed to clear his throat. The whispers died down.

"…Useful trick, that. Teach me sometime?" Ajuka requested mildly.

"I'm sure your Kankara Formula is more than capable of replicating the feat, Lord Beelzebub," the Tyrant answered.

"Umm… should we move on now?" Gabriel asked.

As if on cue, the music transitioned.

The doors to the cathedral opened. Harry turned to see the love of his life in her 'fluffy' wedding gown, as she'd proclaimed the night before. It was indeed airy, half of it seeming to be made more of clouds than it did actual cloth. Her long black hair ran straight down her back like a waterfall, the Satan having foregone her usual twin tails. The blue and gold lining to the veil really brought out her eyes, in Harry's opinion. They flashed blue and violet as he looked at her. He shook himself a bit. It wouldn't do to be distracted now, no matter how appropriate it was to be taken by the beauty of one's wife.

Serafall began walking down the aisle slowly, magic lifting the trail of her dress so it didn't drag along the ground. When she got to the front, she handed her bouquet off to her little sister.

"At least she didn't play her theme song…" Sirzechs muttered. Michael and Ajuka both elbowed him from either side, causing the Crimson Satan to almost double over. Harry sealed the man's mouth shut for good measure.

"Geez, about time… What took you…?" Serafall paused when she saw Sirius. "You…?" She blinked a couple of times. "You can't…"

The man's eyes widened ever so slightly before narrowing. He glanced at Harry, the two of them communicating mentally. After no more than a couple of seconds, the aura around Sirius gained an additional property. The magic circles were already thankfully disrupted thanks to her close proximity to him, so they didn't catch her moment of hesitation. Anyone else in the building dismissed it as a figment of their imagination. Serafall stared in confusion at the man she thought she recognized. Her attention was brought back to the front when Gabriel began reading the rites. To her delight, they were almost identical to the ones her spouse had used the night he made her his Queen. She clung to his arm more tightly.

Harry, for the most part, tuned the rest of the world out. He paid enough attention to recite the necessary words, but one of the many talents he'd cultivated over his existence was the ability to multitask at least two things at the same time with near-perfect accuracy. He was currently discussing things with Sirius-Harry.

" _Did she actually recognize you, or was it just an echo?"_

" _She definitely recognized me to an extent. The Stone is claiming innocence, so in all likelihood, she's recovered all of her memories. Best be prepared, just in case."_

" _Agreed. I'll check later."_

" _You'll 'check' later. On your wedding night."_

" _What?"_

" _I wonder where you'll 'check' first? I'm pretty sure she'll agree to anything. Lot of agreeing going on, if past experience is anything to go by."_

" _Alright, fine, I'll check tomorrow. Horny bastard."_

" _Remember, we're the same person. I'm not thinking anything you haven't thought before, or wouldn't think eventually."_

"I do," Harry said.

Gabriel nodded and turned to Serafall.

" _ **Be serious.**_ _What are the chances it'll throw off her assimilation?"_

" _Almost none. I'd say zero, but you never know."_

" _Good enough. Keep the aura up for now. If anything else happens, you know what to do."_

" _Of course. By the way, there're two particularly persistent Magicians in the crowd."_

" _Persistent as in…?"_

" _Le Fay Pendragon. Back row, right side if you're facing front. Lavinia Reni. Same row, other side."_

" _A member of Vali's team and one of Grauzauberer's aces. Wonder what they want."_

" _If I had to guess, Le Fay's just probing at my aura out of curiosity. Seems bright and cheery. Like Lily. Probably wants to learn how to emulate it."_

" _Fits with what we know of her. Lavinia?"_

" _Actively trying to dismantle the spells and enchantments on me. The cloak's warding her off."_

" _Not happy with us, then."_

" _Guess not. Something to ask Mephisto some other time. Go ahead and kiss the bride, you lucky bastard, you."_

Harry turned to Serafall and lifted the veil with one hand while the other held her cheek.

"I love you, Serafall."

"I love you too, Harry!" she replied as cheerfully as ever.

He smiled. That's right. This was what he strove to protect. He leaned forward and kissed her, prompting the crowd to burst into wild applause. Sirius pointedly took several steps away to allow the magic circles to capture the moment. The operators took the hint and zoomed in to do their work. The general noise drowned out most of what his new wife was saying, so he cast a subtle spell to mute the rest of the building and drew her closer under the illusion of kissing her again. She didn't hesitate to turn the illusion into reality, happily staying in his arms and hugging him back.

"What were you saying?" he asked.

"Y'know how everyone was just fine with me being the Satan Potter?"

"Strange thing to ask now, but yeah?"

The magic circles were getting a bit annoying now, zipping about right in front of him. Behind him, he could tell Sirius-Harry was engaging the rest of his groomsmen in small talk. At a small mental tug, he took the hint and stepped back into his previous spot, once again blocking everything magical.

"Well, I thought that it would be kinda weird to be called that. I'd feel like they were talking to you all the time!" Serafall stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm not taking your position, Sera. And we had this discussion. Use whatever name you want."

"I know! So I had this great idea! Obviously, they don't care if I change my name, so I'm gonna make them call me Satan Girl Levia-tan from now on! Wanna help me convince them?"

Harry and his copy both stifled laughter.

"Sounds like a fantastic idea. I can't wait to see Lord Orion address you that way at the next meeting."

"Yeah! It'll be great!"

The crowd was still cheering. It was amazing how long they could do that, really. Harry let the rest of his friends join in their little bubble of privacy. He gratefully accepted all their congratulations and well wishes, as well as the customary 'If you hurt her I'll hurt you worse' from Sona, half-hearted though it was.

"You know what time it is now, right?!" Sirzechs shouted as he stepped up and slung one arm around Harry's shoulders. The Wizard looked at him incredulously.

"No. What time is it now?"

"PARTY TIME! I BROUGHT DRINKS!"

"Which you will drink responsibly, right Lucifer-sama?"

"Err. Right. Of course, Grayfia."

They all laughed at the sad expression on Sirzechs' face, even his wife.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"We leave in a week. No later."

"Fiiine."

Serafall pouted as she lounged in bed, naked as the day she was born. Harry, wearing nothing more than a bathrobe, sat on the edge of the mattress while he examined the letter he'd gotten in response from Orcus. Apparently the man had a daughter now. His wife pulled his robe off and draped herself over his back in its place. He let himself enjoy the feeling of her full breasts pressed against his back of his head as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"What's it say?" she asked.

"They're more than willing to meet. He wants to introduce me to his daughter."

"Grim Reapers can have children?"

"…You know there are people under the hoods and masks, right?"

"I knew that. Probably. Yeah."

Harry smiled at how she was acting. Even when she was completely nude, she found ways to be cute without being sexual. Though with the way her breasts bounced with the slightest movement and certain other parts of her kept rubbing against him, that was liable to change very fast.

"I would have liked to leave in a couple of days, to be honest…" he started.

"Nuh uh! You owe me! Like twenty wedding nights over! We are going to spend the next seven days in bed!" she responded immediately.

"Sera, even I have limits."

"You can duplicate yourself!"

"Lord Orion is a part of preparations for the opening ceremony of the first annual World Rating Tournament that begins tomorrow, in case you forgot. He's in charge of coordinating with the Magicians."

Serafall blinked. She had actually forgotten that. However, she refused to give in.

"Make him come back! They don't need him! I need him more!"

Harry sighed in exasperation. Serafall wouldn't be Serafall if she didn't act selfish and childish every once in a while. He somehow found it more endearing now that they were officially married. He petted her head, getting her to giggle and hug him tighter from behind. He then decided to change the topic while she was hopefully distracted.

"Sera, we're going to be together for almost every waking and sleeping moment for the rest of our lives."

"I know! Isn't it great?"

He smiled wryly.

"I don't disagree, but what I'm trying to say is, is there a particular reason why you're so insistent on having sex in this bed? You even made me wait until we got back. I thought you were all for doing it pretty much wherever. What was wrong with the hotel room?"

"Oh. Uh, I mean, I wanted our first time after we got married to be in our bed! Now that we've done it, I guess the novelty of doing it in our bedroom has kinda worn off now. Wanna go back?"

"I don't want you judging our sexual encounters by some arbitrary novelty scale, Sera."

"But, but! I read that you have to spice up the relationship to keep things fresh!"

"That's… probably not what they meant."

Harry didn't like the sudden gleam he could see in his wife's eyes. Drat, he was trying to get her to agree to leave earlier. It wasn't like there weren't hotels in Europe. Serafall removed herself from his back just long enough to pull him back onto the bed proper. She then got on top of him, taking advantage of the effect she'd had on him over the past few minutes.

"You still have to get your harem! I mean, you have both Kuroka and Shirone now, so I guess that's a solid start, but you need more variety! Unless you really like catgirls, in which case I'm happy to roleplay. Did you know foxes and cats are similar?"

"No they're not."

"Close enough! Go bag Yasaka! Actually, wait. Can I sleep with the twins first?"

He deadpanned at her.

"I haven't slept with them, Sera."

"What?! Why not?! They're perfect! Call them! Right now! We can have a foursome!"

"Yeah… no. Not on our wedding night."

"Oh. Right. Tomorrow it is!"

"Sera… mmph!"

She silenced his complaints by locking lips with him. He kept his deadpan look the entire time she blocked him from talking. When she finally broke away to take a deep breath, he continued.

"I'm not getting a harem."

"You promised! You said you'd get a harem before you duplicated yourself and had sex with me!" she protested.

"I said, 'I'd sooner get a harem'. Nowhere does that imply I'm doing either."

"What if I say I want other women to sleep with?"

Harry winced. Unfortunately for him, Serafall sensed weakness.

"Oh! You're okay with that? Great! Then I want to sleep with Kuroka! Right now! Err. Wait. No. Tomorrow! Tomorrow night! We can all sleep together!"

He sighed.

"Only if you promise to actually sleep."

"Pinky swear! …After the sex, anyway."

"Sera…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Lord Orion sighed tiredly as he closed the communication link with his Pact Magician. Thank Merlin Mephisto was so helpful. The Devil Magician was used to dealing with the other organizations and associations, being the chairman of his own and the director for the Magician's Council, which was like the International Confederation of Wizards from his own world, except the ICW was slower and the Supreme Mugwump didn't have half the powers the director of the Council did. Power really was all that mattered here it seemed. After his display at his Wizard-slash-King's wedding, he'd been invited to be one of the vice-directors the very next day. As he understood it, he would have been invited earlier if he had displayed any of his powers publicly, especially his power of 'Tyranny'.

"Knock knock, nya!"

"Master, done?"

Harry turned around and saw both his Rooks standing in the doorway, dressed in kimonos of opposite color schemes like usual. Unlike usual, Kuroka's kimono was fully-closed like her sister's. Sex appeal was an effective weapon, but the dark-haired Nekoshou knew when to reel it in and when to blast her opponents with it. Although, ever since she'd joined his Peerage, she admitted to trying to not use it as often. This was both worrying and reassuring to Harry. She then simultaneously alleviated and doubled his worries by saying she'd use it extra often when they sparred. Her white-haired sister had smacked her over the back of the head for that comment and earned a round of head pats for it.

"Yes, for today," he replied, walking over to them.

Both Nekoshou stepped aside to let him take the lead as they walked together out of the government building in Lilith, ignoring all of the various Devils that bowed deferentially as they passed. His aura had affected more than his standing within the Magician's community. The Devils closest to Sirius had been struck with a sense of all-encompassing power, while those who watched the broadcast assumed his armor was to suppress his natural aura. Said aura was correctly assumed to be the cause of the magical circles' inability to capture his image, but the more specific cause was incorrectly assumed to be due to the amount of magical energy he was exuding overpowering the other magic. Thus, any Devils below Ultimate-class were suddenly extremely wary and respectful of him.

"You're dismissed," Harry said, before a teleportation circle lit up at his feet. Instead of teleporting though, he just vanished from existence. It was a little magical sleight-of-hand to fool observers into thinking Lord Orion returned alone somewhere every day. If he needed them to do anything, he would give out orders. Otherwise, he'd dismiss them, meaning they were free to do whatever for the rest of the day.

Shirone and Kuroka looked at each and nodded. They too disappeared, reappearing in Serafall's mansion. The twins made a beeline for the bedroom. When they arrived, Shirone knocked politely twice. There was no response. Shrugging, Kuroka opened the door and peered inside. It was empty.

"Nya?"

"Eating?"

They made their way to the main dining room next. It too was empty. They checked all of the rooms of the mansion one by one, their senses spread out as far as they could go to try and find where their Wizard King and Queen had disappeared to. After about fifteen minutes of searching, splitting up for the last five minutes, the two Nekoshou met in the entrance hall.

"Missing," Shirone said simply.

"Looks like it. Hmm. Was there something important going on today?" Kuroka wondered.

"Dismissed."

"Yeah, but that just means we're free. Maybe Harry had something else to do?"

"…Serafall. Sex. All day," was the deadpan answer.

"I know. I'm so jealous!" the other Nekoshou cried.

The deadpan intensified. A familiar magic signature registered on both of their senses at the same time. As one, the twins made their way back to the bedroom. Shirone opened the door this time to see the man they were searching for, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and swimming trunks along with a pair of flip-flops.

"Ah. Hey there, Shirone. And Kuroka. Serafall dragged me off a random beach somewhere. Sorry."

"Didja do it?" Kuroka asked teasingly. Her sister smacked her. "Nya! That hurts, Shirone!"

"Perv. Bad." She purred lightly as Harry gave her a brief head pat for good behavior.

"There's nothing wrong with being a pervert!" she proclaimed proudly.

"I agree!" Serafall chirped as she bounced out of a teleportation circle, completely nude.

"Ooh! Nice tan!"

"Thanks, Kuro-chan!"

Harry shook his head and wrapped one arm around Shirone, bringing her into a half hug and triggering a blush.

"Ah, we're surrounded by perverts, Shirone. What will we do now?"

"Quick, Shirone! Take his swim trunks off!"

To his dismay, the white-haired Nekoshou in his arms actually looked conflicted about whether to follow the order. Eventually she shook her head vigorously, blushing even harder, and awkwardly buried her face in his chest since they were close to the same height. She evidently realized this, because she straightened up and just hugged him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck instead.

"Aaah! Don't hog my Harry-kun!" Serafall latched on to his back, still naked, and nuzzled into the other side of his neck.

"Nyahaha, the foursome's gonna happen soon! I can feel it!"

Harry sensed another presence teleporting into the mansion and immediately shut the door with a spell. The women stared at it in confusion, before the two Nekoshou both perked up. A couple of seconds later, something ran into the door with great force. The four occupants of the bedroom heard someone groaning in pain on the other side.

"Owww. What the heck's this door made of? Magisteel?"

A pause.

"I know it's not real, Albion. Give me a break. Oh, good idea."

Knock knock.

"Uhh. Master? You in there? It's Vali! I have something important to tell you! It's really time-sensitive, so uh, if you're in there, but you're sleeping or something, I'm really, really sorry about this! Good enough? Alright, let's go!"

The door opened just to reveal the teenager in his Scale Mail, large magic circle in front of him. The only part of him not covered was his head. In the time Vali had taken to prepare himself, Harry had conjured proper clothing for his wife and ordered his two Rooks to behave themselves.

"Uh… hi, Master! This, this isn't what it looks like. I swear."

" **This is exactly what it looks like."**

"Albion! Why?!"

" **It isn't good to lie, especially to him. He can read your soul and see if you're telling the truth."**

"Urk. Uh. Then… I guess this is exactly what it looks like?"

Harry gave the Dragon Piece of his Peerage a flat look.

"Put the magic circle away, Vali."

"Right!"

"What did you need to tell me?"

The grey-haired teenager snapped to attention.

"If you want to meet with Ophis, now's the time. Well, not now, but starting tomorrow afternoon. She'll be completely without guards except for my team. The other groups are all doing their own thing, so we're undermanned at the moment. You'll have a window as early as one in the afternoon here, which is seven in the morning there."

The Wizard didn't need to think twice.

"Give Le Fay a time and tell her to let me know at least an hour in advance. I'll be waiting. Are you ready for your return to Devil high society?"

"Hell yeah I am!"

"Good. One last thing. I heard about sightings of a White Dragon over in the Americas. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Vali shuffled nervously.

"Uh. I plead the Fifth?"

" **Vali can now maintain my form for several seconds at a time without collapsing."**

The teenager puffed his armored chest out in pride at the same time as looking slightly terrified of what Harry would do to him.

"Really? That's amazing progress. Next time, practice it somewhere like the middle of the Atlantic. At least they can pass it off as ocean fever or some sort of sea monster then."

He blinked.

"That's it? Man, you're way cooler than Azazel!"

"I believe in second chances and learning from one's mistakes. That being said, if I hear about something stupid like that again, I _will_ punish both of you."

"Y-yes, Master." **"Yes, Master…"**

"Good. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow at the coliseum. Don't be late!"

Vali saluted and disappeared in a flash of light, Scale Mail and all.

Serafall, Kuroka, and Shirone watched the entire exchange in a state of relative shock and awe. Harry had a Heavenly Dragon as his servant. Serafall licked her suddenly dry lips, while both Nekoshou squirmed slightly. The Wizard closed the door and turned around to see three pairs of predatory eyes on him.

"Er. Girls?"

"Harry. One more time," Serafall said, taking her robe off.

Shirone silently advanced on him, slipping out of her kimono and letting it pool on the floor.

"Hehehe. Foursome…" Kuroka mumbled in a trance, her own kimono long discarded.

He gulped and considered his options. In the end, he decided appararition was an acceptable means to avoid infidelity and transported himself and his wife back to the private beach she had reserved for the full day. The wards were still up as well, which was convenient, because Serafall didn't wait any longer once they arrived.

In his apartment in Kuoh, Vali stopped and unequipped his Scale Mail.

"What's up, Albion? Why were you telling me to run away?"

 _ **You don't yet know the fury of the female gender, but trust me when I say you should never get in between them and what they want.**_

"Oookay…?"

* * *

A/N: Lord Orion will not be taking his helmet off again until much, much later, and it won't be Sirius underneath next time. None of Harry's Peerage will be added in Interludes from this point on, with one very special exception.


	29. Interlude - Serafall Leviathan

**Interlude – Serafall Leviathan**

 **(Confession and Penance Arc)**

* * *

The Great War between the Three Factions was a brutal affair that only ended when the strongest fighters of the war, the Biblical God and the original four Satans that ruled the 72 Pillars of Hell, killed each other, taking a large portion of each of the Factions' dwindling armies with them in the process. After the climactic battle that took the lives of some of the strongest mythical beings in the world, all three races, Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels, were left in shock.

The Devils had lost all four of their leaders and the most of the families of over half the Pillar clans as well as a majority of their entire military. The surviving clans were in varying states of exhaustion and disarray. Some, like the Bael and Belial, retained a good portion of their resources and were able to claim dominant positions in the new hierarchy. However, most of the remaining Devils were in no condition to do much of anything except focus on recovery. Of the 72 Pillar clans, 39 had effectively gone extinct, and less than 10 had enough power to command any authority. Their opponents in the war were in similarly dire straits.

The Angels had also lost their leader and much of their forces. The reclusive and pious Faction wanted nothing more than to retreat to salvage the system God left behind. Their new leader, the Great Seraph Michael, went out of his way to implement his race's isolationist policies in the years that followed the unofficial end to hostilities. Heaven essentially closed its gates to all, cutting off communication with the rest of the world for centuries. Only the continued existence of the Church let others know the Angels were still alive, if not particularly well.

The Fallen, despite managing to preserve the life of their own leader, were at a severe numerical disadvantage even with the losses sustained by the other Factions. The Governor General of the Grigori, Azazel, was the only surviving leader of the Three Factions from before the war. He was notable for being the only one of them to avoid participating in battle personally whenever he could. Many of his own people resented him for his supposed cowardice, but his vastly superior strength discouraged others from attempting to unseat him.

The deaths of the Biblical God, the four Satans, and well over half of all of the combatants should have brought about peace if for no other reason than a lack of organization and manpower to continue fighting. Certain elements within the Devils disagreed. Lack of unified leadership led to a splinter in Devil society as two disparate ideologies rallied powerful clans to their banners.

On one side were the Devils who believed in the original Satans' reasons for starting the Great War in the first place, led by the heirs to the clans of the four Satans. The Old Satan Faction, as they came to be called, wanted a decisive end to the war. At its head, Rizevim Livan Lucifer preached the natural superiority of Demons and Devils as justification for his actions. He argued for a return to the time before the war, where power ruled and was absolute. His call attracted fewer of the Devils, but those who joined him tended to be more powerful than those who didn't.

On the other side were the Devils who viewed the deaths of their fellow comrades and their leaders as a sign of the wrongness of the Satan's reasoning. The Anti-Satan Faction, led by the scions of the Gremory and Astaroth Clans, were opposed to further conflict because they believed it would lead to the extinction of the Devils or, at best, mutually assured destruction of all of the Three Factions. Sirzechs Gremory and Ajuka Astaroth campaigned for reform. The late Satans had ruled through fear, and such a rule was unsustainable and unhealthy. Their call appealed to the weaker Devils, as well as many the surviving members of the Pillar families whose lines had nearly gone extinct.

With each side anticipating an attempt from the other to take control of the infrastructure and technology left behind by the original Satans, their leaders began recruiting in earnest from the more neutral Devils.

The Sitri Clan was well-known for being master manipulators of their chosen element, water, able to adapt it to offensive, defensive, and supportive roles as the situation dictated. They had not been prominent members of Devil society before the war, nor were they very powerful overall. Their versatility was their strength, but lack of specialization hurt members of the clan when it came time for contests of power between individuals. However, the current heiress was an exception.

Serafall Sitri was born early enough to participate in the final battles of the Great War, but late enough to not know how or why it had started. Like the rest of her clansmen, she survived the war by being fortunate enough to be assigned to the artillery corps. Unlike the other Sitri Devils, she chose not to spread her talents across a wide variety of applications. In fact, she distinguished herself by developing a variation on her family's signature water avatars that they used to help them fight in close quarters. Typically, the water avatars were meant to be surrogate fighters, their creators controlling them remotely from nearby to avoid direct damage. Hers covered her body to enhance her capabilities, and solidified into ice to act as armor.

In one particular battle that saw the rearguard ambushed by a contingent of Fallen, she used her avatar of ice to fight them off. Her actions earned her praise from all of the Devils she helped save, as well as the Satans themselves for managing to preserve their supply line. Against her wishes, she was given command of an entire battalion comprised of about five hundred Devils. Her battalion also led most of the artillery regiment she was part of, numbering about three thousand in total.

The unexpected end of the Great War meant that she was still the leader of her mostly-intact regiment of magical artillery. Almost half of them had their fates decided by the clans they were a part of, but after all was said and done she had over a thousand Devils left that looked to her to see which of the new factions she would support. Her indecision was interpreted as neutrality, and she gained a following all her own as one of the most prominent Devils to refuse contact with either side. Though she wasn't clan head, Lord and Lady Sitri were mostly ignored for being less powerful than her.

Eventually, she was the last major player that had not made her intentions clear. The leaders of the Old Satan Faction and the Anti-Satan Faction were already preparing for civil war, and if either could win her over, the support of the Devils under her could potentially swing initial momentum in either direction with a well-placed strike. From Rizevim, she received an ultimatum: join her forces to his, or forfeit her territory, which bordered the Satan territories. From the Sirzechs and Ajuka, two people she had served alongside during the war, albeit briefly, she received what seemed like a polite invitation for a meeting to discuss her tenuous position.

Being young and inexperienced, she accepted the invitation from the Anti-Satan Faction for a meeting, thinking she could use the opportunity to distance herself and her family from the dangerous affair and declare neutrality. In the eyes of her subordinates and the rest of Devil society, it was as good as having chosen. Her acceptance was reported to Lord Sitri while he was in the middle of formally ceding a portion of the Sitri territory to the leaders of the Old Satan Faction. He was actually sitting in a meeting with Rizevim when the other man received the news. Attempts to take him hostage failed when the Anti-Satan Faction launched the first attack of what would become the Devil Civil War on the meeting location.

Ajuka, having purposefully drafted the invitation to Serafall in such a way that she would be likely to accept it, used Lord Sitri as bait to lure out Rizevim, who had gone into hiding in preparation for his own assault. The preemptive strike was wildly successful, especially since Sirzechs and the head of the Sitri Clan managed to incapacitate the heir to Lucifer in the chaos. Unfortunately, the Anti-Satan Faction failed to capture the leader of the opposition, but the surprise attack did result in the death or imprisonment of many of the higher-ranking officers of the numerically inferior Old Satan Faction. For the duration of the Civil War, Rizevim would never show himself in public or personally participate in battle, allowing Sirzechs and Ajuka, later joined by Falbium Glasya-Labolas, to claim victory in key locations, including Lucifaad and Agreas. When the capital of the Old Satans was taken with their faction's leaders nowhere in sight, the trio proclaimed the end of the short war mere months after it began. Rizevim and the other heirs to the Old Satans were never found.

During all of this, Serafall found herself once more an unwilling commander. The only difference this time was she did not do much fighting. After the initial stages of the war, both sides mostly left her alone. The Old Satan Faction didn't have the resources to devote to hunting her down or retaliating against her without incurring unacceptable losses. The Anti-Satan Faction was more than content to let her and the Devils under her leadership act as a passive distraction. Even when she did nothing, she still drained valuable resources from the enemy due to her territory's proximity to theirs.

In the aftermath of the war, she was approached by the leaders of the Anti-Satan Faction, Sirzechs, Ajuka, and Falbium, and asked to be a part of the new government, perhaps one of its leaders. The Devils she led voiced their support. Her parents gave their approval. The rest of the Devils also saw her neutrality during the conflict as a good sign of her ability to lead under pressure. She adamantly refused. In the months following the Civil War, she was inducted anyway.

Needless to say, Serafall Leviathan, Satan of Foreign Affairs, was more than mildly annoyed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Serafall's duties were simple. She was in charge of any dealings with the Angels or the Fallen, as well as maintaining at least neutral relationships with the rest of the world. The Angels hadn't left Heaven for almost a decade, and the Azazel, the leader of the Fallen, publicly announced his Faction's intent to avoid conflict. He even went so far as to establish lines of communication with all the new Four Great Satans, going over Serafall's head in order to do so. She didn't really mind, since she wasn't the biggest fan of her job anyway and it made it saved her the trouble. It also gave her more free time, which she mostly devoted to production of her magical girl show.

She had gotten hooked on the idea out of the blue one day and made the mistake of mentioning her wishes to be 'like a magical girl in her own show' to her parents. They took her seriously and, after careful consultation with several business-minded Devils, concluded it was an excellent opportunity to take advantage of her popularity and status. Ajuka heard about the venture and was more than happy to provide whatever assistance he could, viewing it as a way to reduce the fear others felt towards more powerful Devils. That the star of the show was slated to become a Satan herself in the near future was just a bonus. Said star was simultaneously peeved at having something else about her life decided without her input and ecstatic at the chance to live her dreams. Her excitement was dampened after she was inducted.

Early on, Serafall did her best to weasel out of her responsibilities. She sent silly messages all the time, was overly friendly with anyone she dealt with, and even went out of her way to poke and prod at Heaven's gates every so often. This backfired on her when her efforts were rewarded with positive results in more than one way.

Azazel actively encouraged her behavior and appreciated her attitude. Her complaints about the stuffiness of her diplomat's robes were met an offhand suggestion to wear whatever she felt was comfortable. Thus, she began wearing her magical girl outfit all the time. When they met again, he had blinked and immediately offered to sponsor her show to broadcast it to a wider audience via magic. Ajuka, by now keeping a close eye on anything concerning the Satan that was quite possibly loved the most out of all of them, heard about this and negotiated a deal with the studio that produced Miracle Levia-tan. Soon, the show's acts were being reenacted everywhere, and magical copies of recordings began distribution. Serafall's popularity skyrocketed further, much to her confusion.

The Great Seraph Michael, questioning why some of his Angels suddenly fell despite Heaven's gates being closed, discovered the cause was the Devil that had literally knocked on the front doors to his domain. In the first communication from Heaven in several years, he politely asked her to stop whatever it was she was doing, as it was detrimental to the continued functionality of God's system. His request for a meeting was lauded as one of her greatest successes, much to her dismay. When it was discovered that Gabriel, the Angel's equivalent to her, was a fan of the show, Serafall's position was cemented. The Foreign Affairs Satan was dumbfounded.

So it was that Serafall Leviathan resigned herself to her bureaucratic fate.

Decades passed. The Devils established relations with the other pantheons, who were surprised at how different the new Satans were compared to the old ones. Tensions between the Three Factions remained high, but their leaders had at least a tacit understanding with each other. Michael relented in his Faction's isolation once he determined God's system was not in danger of immediate failure. Azazel happily offered reports on his Faction's activities as a gesture of goodwill. Sirzechs, Ajuka, Falbium, and Serafall each busied themselves with their respective jobs.

Sirzechs, the Satan of Domestic Affairs, could be seen in public frequently with other High-Class Devils, constantly working to smooth relations between clans who had been on opposite sides of the Civil War. Ajuka, the Satan of Technology, began work on a secret project to counter the population problem the Devils faced. Falbium, the Satan of Military Affairs, grudgingly but dutifully rebuilt the armies of the Devils, also making sure to discipline and train those he felt were slacking off more than he was. As for Serafall, she attended a bunch of boring meetings with old people.

The people she met with were part of a previously hidden group of reclusive Magicians that maintained their own governments within the governments of the world's many nations. They called themselves wizards as if that were some sort of distinction that deserved praise.

Centuries ago, all of the wizards and witches went into hiding to avoid persecution at the hands of the less magically-inclined population, and they were assumed to have gone extinct. Serafall learned that this was due to a law called the International Statute of Secrecy. It was anyone's guess how they had actually managed to hide from the rest of the magical world for so long, but she was relatively certain it had something to do with their unique brand of magic. Wizardkind could not only survive contact with raw magical energy, but manipulate it to work their spells.

Their abilities made them both dangerous enemies and desirable allies… or as research specimens for those less friendly. Serafall's attempts to impress this fact upon their hardheaded International Confederation were met with incredulity and general dismissal. Only their leader, the oldest of them all, seemed to take her seriously. His voice was unfortunately drowned out by the majority. The catastrophic failure of their Statute dominated most of her meetings with them, and the prevailing opinion was that it should be reinstituted as soon as possible. When she asked them how they planned on accomplishing such a feat now that all of the Three Factions and many others besides knew of their continued existence, they were evasive with their responses.

It was only a matter of time before regular humans found out about magic and began asking questions, which was a situation none of the mythical beings were comfortable with. As it turned out, mentioning this fact was the turning point in their conversations. Wizards were apparently terrible with technology, a fact that was only somewhat explained by the tendency of modern electronics to fail in the presence of their magic. Ajuka's best guess was that since a wizard's body channeled magic like other bodies did electrical signals, the magic amplified that and short-circuited anything nearby, but his theory was untested and the answer was unimportant. What was important was that once they had the concept of television and remote surveillance explained to them, almost all of the wizards had panicked, turned towards a bunch of hooded figures in the corner, and demanded to know why their countermeasure had failed.

Serafall's pointed question about what 'countermeasure' this was went unanswered, and she was ushered out of the council chamber in short order. Less than five minutes later, she forgot all about what she had heard once she exited the building. It would be several months until she inexplicably remembered the incident, and by then, it would be too late.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"' _Unspeakable'?"_

" _Sounds like them. Every government's got their share of top secret projects. For us wizards, the Unspeakables are the ones who work on them."_

Serafall fought to stay calm. Nothing was out of place in her room. Her blue eyes stared back at her from her standing mirror, next to the open door of her expansive closet. Several different outfits were strewn across the floor inside. Various stuffed animals sat on shelves mounted haphazardly on the walls. Posters of her posing in her signature magical girl outfit were plastered anywhere there happened to be empty space, and the whole room was painted pink and blue. In one corner of the room sat an out-of-place coat hanger, reserved for her boyfriend's use.

She turned to look at her bed. On it, sitting in one big pile, was all of her lingerie. The ornate wooden dresser nearby had all of its drawers open and emptied from when she had done so earlier that morning before remembering she had a meeting to attend. The dress she had picked out for her date was next to the pile, the eye-catching midnight blue fabric still just as appealing as it had been when she set it aside. Everything in her room was exactly where she had left it.

And yet, it was all wrong. The inside of her mansion felt foreign to her. The whole world twisted and turned in a dizzying blur of colors if she looked around too much. The picture of her and Harry on the dresser distorted before her very eyes, the background becoming a dozen different places at once, their clothes morphing to match. Sometimes, he had his arm around her. Sometimes, she was on his back. One time, they had even gone on a date in the snowy region of her family's territory. He wore a pouting expression as the snowman he'd built was outshone by the lifelike ice sculpture next to it. She was beaming at him. Who had been holding the camera?

But none of those pictures sat on her dresser. She stared down at her hand, at the engagement ring on her finger. The pink sapphire set in it was mesmerizing, but as always, her attention was more directed at the silver band. The moment captured in time on that little square sheet of paper was of her on top of him after he proposed. It was taken barely three days ago. At least, that was what her mind told her.

No. She remembered it clearly. It was the one and only time he had ever gone so far. They had never gotten to that stage in their short few months together. The very thought simultaneously delighted and confused her. Hundreds of dates, culminating in a proposal. And yet, their first meeting took place less than a year ago. How was such a thing possible? Why was she only now remembering him? Her head throbbed painfully.

The world shook. Serafall blinked and regained her balance before she fell. Her initial thoughts were that she needed rest and medicine. Then the world shook again. She realized her room was actually shaking.

"Wha…?"

The third tremor was much longer than the first two. When it continued for several seconds, the warding built into her mansion activated on its own to preserve the integrity of the building.

The Satan territories didn't get earthquakes. Heck, most of the Underworld didn't get earthquakes. Serafall wasted no time in contacting the other Satans. Ajuka was the first to pick up.

"Serafall? Where are you?"

"Is the Underworld shaking, or is it just me?" she asked seriously.

"It's happening everywhere. We don't know why, since there's no epicenter," he said.

"Eh?"

Her bewilderment was short-lived as the shaking grew stronger. Emergency wards activated and stabilized everything, but she had already begun levitating.

Despite her normally ditzy behavior and relative youth, Serafall was, at the very least, above average in intelligence. She'd never gotten tested for it and never finished formal schooling due to the Great War and subsequent Civil War, but life-threatening situations had a way of motivating people to learn things.

No large-scale shaking like an earthquake could occur without an epicenter in the Underworld. If there were a way to take control of and move the whole mass of the planet Earth, then somebody could cause tremors without a central point, but the Underworld didn't work that way. First of all, it wasn't a planet or even a defined mass. As far as any of the Devils or other mythical beings knew, the Underworld had no end. Nobody had ever reached any sort of barrier indicating a border and returned to tell the tale. It was like an infinite plane in every direction. Therefore, anything resembling an earthquake had to have an epicenter. For Ajuka to say none existed meant the origin of the tremors wasn't in the Underworld to begin with. The only problem was, not even Sirzechs or the Old Satans could project enough power to shake an entire dimension from _another_ dimension.

As her thoughts raced, Serafall's body wasn't idle. She finished crafting the long-distance teleportation circle in seconds and was about to utilize it… until her magic failed. She barely had time to register that she could no longer feel much of anything before she abruptly fell from the air. Since the ceiling of her bedroom wasn't that high to begin with, she didn't fall very far, but the surprise factor caused her to stumble as she landed.

The world shifted.

Serafall blinked and found herself on the floor. Her mind was fuzzy, as if she just woke up. She got up and looked around in confusion. What had she just been doing? Sleeping on the floor? The silence of her bedroom offered no answers. Everything was exactly how it always was, the sparse furniture and plain walls doing little to add any warmth to the room.

She never really liked her bedroom of her mansion. It felt empty no matter what she tried to do to it. Eventually, she'd given up and just had the entire thing reverted back to the way it had been when she moved in. The lone decoration on the white walls was a single poster of her posing for her magical girl show. The door to her closet was closed, having never been opened since the first time she examined the room. Actually, now that she thought about it, she had opened the door one other time. The itchy formal diplomat's robes were probably still hanging in there. Otherwise, all the clothing she needed for her everyday duties was in her dresser. She only ever wore her magical girl's outfit, so at least getting dressed was simple.

It was strange though. Something felt wrong about the situation. Deciding it was just her mind playing tricks on her, Serafall shook herself from her stupor and exited the room. The less time she spent indoors, the better. Looking outside the floor-to-ceiling windows in her hallway, she saw the same barren landscape as always. The Satan territories weren't much for scenic views since the Civil War when they had been the focus of much of the fighting. Idly, she wondered why the artificial sun was already setting. Had she taken a nap?

Maybe a shower would help. Certainly, some cold water would ease the building headache.

Serafall paused mid-step. She didn't get headaches. Devils were normally the very picture of health, the more powerful ones even more so. They of course suffered from specialized diseases and ailments that were unique to them, but for the most part, mundane things like headaches were not counted as symptoms. The only time a Satan would ever get a headache was from magical overexertion.

She put a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. Her reserves were near full. Why then, was she unable to channel any of it? Panic was unlike her, but she had never experienced powerlessness like this. Her mind fought to come up with a plausible reason for her condition. She came to a conclusion quickly. It was possible she had her powers sealed without her knowledge and was left in her bedroom so she would be unable to interfere with whatever the perpetrator planned to do. Being as powerful as she was, Serafall had not been sealed before, but others described what it felt like and she recognized the signs. It also conveniently explained why she had woken up on the floor.

If that was the case, then she had several priorities. Serafall turned around and went back to her bedroom. First, she had to determine if she was correct in her assumptions. It was not unheard of to seal a Satan's powers; it had been done during the Great War for very brief periods of time. But, to do so required a specialized ritual. The Biblical God was able to craft spells capable of the same by Himself, but the Angels under his command, even the Seraphs, needed to band together to accomplish such a feat. Even then, in all but one case, the Angels participating in the ritual were unable to do anything else except stand still and maintain the spell. In that singular case, the Satan had been sealed using the Three Holy Relics.

Serafall didn't delude herself into thinking she was the equal of any of the Old Satans. However, she was not so weak as to be restrained by remote seals either. Since the presence of others in or around her mansion would surely have been noticed by the surveillance wards, that meant there was most likely some object or anchor responsible for her inability to use magic. She threw open the door to her bedroom.

Her instinctual usage of a searching spell was thwarted by her inability to channel any magical energy. She frowned and walked in, looking around critically. The empty feeling assaulted her senses again as she went around poking and prodding at different parts of the room. Nothing appeared different, but visual indicators could easily be hidden by magic. Serafall picked a random spot on the wall and kicked it lightly. When she didn't feel anything, she kicked with full force and caved it in, revealing the adjacent room. Lack of magical control over her energy apparently didn't translate to lack of natural Devil attributes such as enhanced strength. Pleased with her discovery, she went around and did the same thing to the other walls.

After the destruction of her bedroom walls, followed by the bed itself, the dresser, the door to her closet, and the shredding of her diplomat's robes (it made her feel better), she didn't find anything. Serafall huffed irritably. Her room was as empty as ever, so there were not many places to hide things to begin with. She could systematically dismantle her entire residence, but time was not on her side. She tried to channel magic again and predictably failed.

Why didn't the Satans have any sort of non-magical means of communication in case of emergency? In her head, she knew it was because it was unthinkable for a Satan to be sealed in the first place, but she pushed the thought aside. Her options were limited.

She could always pick a direction and run. If the seal weakened based on distance from the anchor to her, she could contact someone for help once she had enough control to do so. That assumed she was not bound to her mansion. It would be child's play to set up wards around her existing ones to keep her from going too far, and without magic, there was little she could do except brute-force her way through. More than possible, but once again time-consuming. Also, what if the seal was on her somewhere? Actually, that was a distinct possibility.

Serafall took her clothes off and walked over to the mirror she had thankfully left intact. No visible markings. She turned around and saw nothing on her back anywhere either. Again, this didn't mean much since magic could hide things and only an amateur would not have thought of such a simple countermeasure. Then, her eyes alighted on an unfamiliar piece of jewelry. A silver ring on her hand that she had somehow failed to notice earlier.

She examined it closely, weighing her options. There was a good chance it was a very powerful artifact. The way her eyes kept sliding off of it only meant it was also enchanted. Enchantments meant traps. That it wasn't visually disguised meant she was supposed to see it. No doubt she would be unable to take it off without some sort of consequence. The question was, was it worth it? She was a Satan, after all. Plus, the wards around her mansion monitored her well-being. If removing the ring physically or mentally hurt her, it would register and warn the rest of the Satans she was being attacked. But what if that's what was supposed to happen? What if gathering the Satans to her was part of the plan?

The ring seemed to laugh at her. Serafall glared at it balefully.

Eventually, she decided anything was better than remaining helpless. Just in case, she put her magical girl's outfit back on. As soon as she was redressed, she grasped the ring on her left ring finger and twisted, trying to pull it off. She felt a strange tugging sensation from her stomach as she was pulled forward without actually moving. It was disorienting and uncomfortable. The world spun around her as she travelled through space. The environment became a blur. When everything came into focus again, Serafall found herself once more on the ground, this time in a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Strange, eerie trees made up a forest on one side, while she could see a castle and a lake in the distance.

"Where…?"

"You have arrived."

Serafall jumped to her feet and pointed a finger in the direction of the voice. A magical circle sprang to life at her command, much to her hidden joy. She turned to face the speaker a moment later and saw an elderly man in dark blue robes.

"Who are you?" she asked warily.

"Irrelevant. If you must have a name, call me Merlin," the old man answered.

She blinked. Merlin spoke, cutting off her next question.

"We have no time. The ring, please."

"The ring?" Serafall looked down at the hand that wasn't preparing to fire her best doom laser. "What do you want with this ring? Were you the one who sealed my powers?"

Instead of responding, the man popped out of existence with a _crack_ , reappearing right in front of her. Serafall's surprised yelp was accompanied by her spell going off, but a wrinkled hand on her wrist made the freezing laser impact the ground harmlessly, generating a large patch of ice. Grey eyes stared into hers as Merlin's other hand reached down and grasped her other hand. His hand on the ring on her left hand snapped her out of her surprised state and she kneed the old man in the gut. She then kicked him away.

His aged features showed no signs of pain as he gently floated to the ground. In his right hand he held the ring that had previously been on Serafall's finger.

"Hey! Give that back!" she cried indignantly.

She didn't know why exactly she wanted the thing that was responsible for sealing her powers back, but it was a rather pretty ring, even if the weird stone set in it was a bit off-putting. She could get it replaced with something like a sapphire later. Merlin ignored her and tossed the ring over his shoulder, a swirling black-and-white portal opening up to swallow it. He then casually deflected several ice spears and regarded her with something she thought was curiosity.

"Hmm. I still don't understand how he was able to tell the difference between you and me," he mused. "When I assumed your form on that day that the two of you met, he was somehow able to distinguish between us even though I replicated your mannerisms perfectly."

"HEY! Keep your hands off of him!"

For some reason, his statement angered her greatly. It was strange. Wait, who was Harry? Merlin's gaze sharpened, unnerving her.

"…Interesting," he commented. "We've determined that he cannot passively effect changes in the physiology of others, and this spell is supposed to be otherwise infallible if you cannot already manipulate raw magic. How is it then that your soul remembers?"

The headache was back. Serafall winced as it hit her. Why? Why was everything so familiar? She'd never been here before. Why did that name make her happy? She didn't know a Harry, did she? It wasn't a very common name. What was that part about her soul? What manner of Magician was this man?

"Who are you?!" she demanded.

"Mm. A much more difficult question than I had first thought. But again, we are short on time. If you ask me again later, I promise to answer you in full. Unfortunately, your presence here will disrupt his concentration. Farewell."

Merlin raised his hand and waved at her casually. Magic washed over her, and she felt the tugging sensation again. She tried to summon her own magic to counter it, but the other man's energy seemed to devour hers. Belatedly, she realized he used raw magic. Was he a wizard then, like the others she had been meeting with recently?

There was no counter to raw magic. But, that didn't mean she was at his mercy. Whatever the old man was casting apparently took a while to complete. With a thought, she preempted the spell and teleported herself next to him. To her disappointment, he wasn't very surprised. The way he caught her punch shocked her.

"Serafall, once was enough. I would much rather you didn't hit me again," Merlin said flatly.

While her mind was still playing catch-up to what had happened, she was pushed backwards. A moment later, a spell hit her and she was utterly unable to move her body from the neck down. She twisted and turned her head to try and struggle free, thinking the wizard had conjured invisible restraints on her. She soon realized that was not the case.

"What the heck?"

"Mm… still imperfect," the man noted. "Truly, the path to being a true wizard is long. It is inconvenient that I am not allowed to use my normal magic as part of my training, but I suppose sacrifices have to be made."

Merlin waved his hand in her direction again. The tugging sensation returned. Serafall tried to teleport again, but as soon as she thought of it, she was hit with a compulsion to stay still. She shook her head rapidly, doing nothing to help her headache, and tried once more. The compulsion was even stronger.

"You are making this much more difficult than it has to be. I want to send you home."

"Well, I don't wanna go!" she said petulantly. Merlin deadpanned at her, the expression making his aged features look disappointed in a grandfatherly way.

Serafall fought the urge to grin. This was a serious situation! Probably. Her powers had been mysteriously sealed, and the instrument used to seal them was in someone else's possession. What if it was used again later? She had to at least get it back. Something inside of her agreed wholeheartedly with that plan, though she didn't know why. Also, that same something was telling her not to give up, or else she'd never see this place again. She'd never see him again.

The old wizard sighed and raised both hands. Suddenly, Serafall felt very sleepy.

No! No no no! Wait! She couldn't let herself fall asleep. She couldn't let Merlin send her away. If she did, that was it. She didn't know what was going on anymore. Her head hurt so much. But, she knew that ring was the key. She absolutely had to get it back. It was the one thought that dominated everything else.

Words came unbidden to her lips.

" _Finite Incantatem._ "

Something in the surrounding environment reacted to her words, gifting her with energy she'd never wielded before. Blazing green eyes stared into hers for a brief instant. Merlin showed surprise for the first time since she'd appeared. Surprise, and a hint of panic. Serafall felt the magic holding her in place fade away, along with her drowsiness. She got to her feet triumphantly with a smile. She had no idea what she did, but apparently it had worked. She pointed at the old man.

"Alright bub! Now you're gonna give me that ring back!"

He didn't react at first. After a few seconds, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Did he foresee this?" Merlin said to himself. "Or was it just luck?"

Serafall's smile faded.

"Hey! Pay attention!"

She cast a wide-area freezing spell on him. Merlin muttered something under his breath and her spell vanished into thin air as if it had never existed. A moment later, he disappeared with another _crack_. She whirled around, ice armor already forming on her body as she stayed on high alert. Alas, her efforts were in vain as the old man floated several meters in the sky above her.

"Ahh, he's going to be angry with me again…" Merlin remarked idly.

Serafall looked up. A flash of red was the last thing she saw before she fell unconscious.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Waking up this time was completely different. Without knowing exactly how she knew, Serafall could tell the whole world had changed somehow on some fundamental level. Then, she opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Sera. How do you feel?"

Ah. So that's what it was.

"Harry…"

"Before you say anything, let me say that I'm sorry. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. And don't worry, I'll bring them all back, even if it takes everything I have."

Everyone… her parents, her sister, her friends and family. How many people…?

"I'll leave you to recover," Harry continued. "Whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting in the next room over. Take your time." He got up off of the bed and made to exit the room.

"Wait."

He stopped at the doorway.

"Please. Don't leave me again…"

Harry returned to the bed. When he sat back down, she hugged him tightly.

"I don't blame you," she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. "It's not your fault."

"It is," he said quietly. "I was the one who selfishly broke free. Everything would have worked out if I didn't interfere in the Great War. All because I wanted to meet you earlier. And look at me now. I'm still bound by the Hallows."

She didn't know or care about what he said.

"Nobody could have known. You didn't know. And you still don't."

"What?"

Serafall hardened her resolve and reached out with her newly reawakened senses until she found the ring, or rather the stone set in it. The Resurrection Stone responded in the affirmative to her unspoken question. Good. That was one down.

"I'll take them from you. Give them to me."

"Serafall, you don't understand-"

"No. You listen to me, Harry. I've had enough of you leaving me alone. I'm not gonna let you die and leave me again. If that means I have to go and punch Death in the face myself to get you back, so help me I will find a way."

Harry stared at her.

"Sera, I-"

"Nuh uh! Don't you 'Sera' me! I've already got the stone's approval! That just means the cloak and the wand and BAM, I'm the new Master of Death! You'll be free to be with me forever!"

"Sera, that's not how the Deathly Hallows works…"

"Yes it is! Well, not quite like that, but it's basically the same! Now gimme the other two!"

"No."

Serafall blinked.

"Wha?"

"I said, 'no'. I won't let you die for me, Sera. I may not know everything about them, but I know that accepting death is a condition for the Hallows to work."

"Accepting Death is easy! You did it when you died; I can do it without dying!"

"That's not how it works!" Harry almost shouted. "If you accept death, you die!"

Serafall's mouth opened in a little 'o'.

"Harry, is it possible… you don't know?"

It was Harry's turn to pause and blink. His initial fury at someone he loved essentially planning to commit suicide subsided, though it simmered just below the surface. Centuries of control reasserted itself.

"Know what?"

"Death. Did you ever ask the Hallows about your contract with them?"

"Yes. It's why I wanted them destroyed. My magic is bound to Death until they are passed on or I kill my soul. My only other option is to destroy them."

Serafall let go of him and sat up.

"So… pass them on to me?"

"Sera…"

"No no no wait. The whole thing about 'accepting Death' isn't talking about dying. You have to accept Death as your master." At Harry's contemplative look, she continued. "It's like a Catch-22. By accepting that you must die, you are given power over death. The Hallows took this to the extreme by giving their owners power over Death. Capital 'D'."

"And you know this, because?"

"They told me! Er. The stone told me."

Harry deadpanned at her, but his expression soon changed into one of realization.

"Wait, do you actually talk to them?" he asked with sudden urgency.

"Uh. Yeah? Don't you?" Serafall asked.

"As in, with words? They talk back?"

"Well, I get vague ideas from the other two, but the stone talks to me. In fact, you'll never guess who it introduced itself as at first! I mean, later I found out it tricked me, but still it's practically your dad anyway."

Harry wasn't paying attention to her, lost in his thoughts. Eventually, he whispered the most prominent one aloud.

"Why do they talk to you, but not to me…?"

"You're the Master. Duh. Why would they talk to you?"

He inhaled sharply. He didn't move for several seconds. When he finally did, it was to get up and beat his head against the indestructible frame of the four-poster bed they were on. Serafall giggled at his, in her opinion, overdramatic mannerisms. His cloak was definitely to blame for rubbing off on him, not that she minded. He eventually stopped.

"So. Now that we've established I'm a total moron, does that mean…?"

"Yep. Why do you think you can't actually use Death without the wand? Some 'Master of Death' you are!" she teased. "You're still bound by the contract though."

Harry grabbed her by the shoulders. She paused at the serious look in his eyes.

"This is vitally important, Serafall. Do you understand?"

"Uh. Yes?"

"I will never do this to you again. But tell me honestly. Will you die?"

Serafall blinked. She smiled gently.

"No, Harry. I won't."

He stared into her eyes for a long time. The eyes weren't actually windows to the soul, but he developed the habit of using them as such ever since he discovered his new abilities. Harry looked at the love of his life and searched deeper until he found her soul, or at least the physical representation of it. It was everything he thought it would be, shining brightly despite the singular black streak in it. The cracks running through it were gone with the full restoration of her memories, though it still fluctuated from time to time, its shape unstable. As if sensing his eyes on it, the amorphous blob of matter bounced around playfully.

Harry examined her soul. It told him all that he needed to know. It gave him the answers to the questions he wanted to ask without him having to ask her. With some guidance from the stone, Serafall hid nothing from him, giving him full access. She even tried to push some naughty memories at him when he lingered a little longer than her needed to in her soul space. Reluctantly, the Wizard pulled himself away. The last thing he checked on before he left was the Piece bonded to her. It had integrated itself seamlessly into her magical core and was doing its job of stabilizing everything admirably.

When he blinked, he was once again staring into familiar blue eyes.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Mm?"

"Okay. You can have them. But," he said quickly when he saw she was about to pounce him, "one at a time. I saw what happened to you when you first accepted the stone."

"Urk," Serafall winced. "Ugh. Fiiine." A thought occurred to her. "Hey. Does that mean I get to call you 'Master' all the time now?"

"Please don't."

"Oh come on! You know what I mean when I say it!"

"I know what everyone means when they say it. I just don't like to be reminded."

Serafall deflated slightly.

"…Why do you hate your magic so much?"

"I think you mean my title. But, there's a simple reason. My title and my magic take from others without giving anything back. 'Tyrant' is an apt descriptor for what I am."

"I disagree," she said while she hugged him. "Don't forget the other word, Mr. Noble."

"…Right. I love you too, Sera," he replied, hugging her back.

"Mhm."

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Later that night, as she lay in bed naked next to her sleeping husband, Serafall whispered the words she'd never gotten the chance to say before, at least not fully as herself.

"I love you too, Harry. Don't worry; this time, it'll work out. We'll both make sure of it."

For a moment, her irises darkened to a violet hue before returning to blue. The golden hourglass on the bedside stand glowed softly, unnoticed by the two occupants of the room.


	30. KB1of5 Ch21a - Family Reunion

**Chapter 21a – Family Reunion**

 **(Khaos Brigade Arc, Part One of Five)**

* * *

 **One week ago…**

"Please state your name and business."

Harry stared at the public payphone incredulously. Surely not?

Loup Garou frowned as he looked at the badge he had fished out of his pocket. He flicked it a couple of times, but when he got no reaction, he tossed it behind his shoulder nonchalantly and stepped forward. The badge shattered like glass once it hit the ground, the fragments disappearing.

"Loup Garou Greyback. Back from my assignment."

Moments later, a bright red badge slid out of the coin return slot. It read, 'Loup Garou Greyback, Order Member' in golden letters, with the label '4th Year Dropout' beneath it in black. The others looked at it with mixed reactions. The werewolf just clicked his tongue and pinned it to the front of his jacket. A teleportation circle appeared beneath him.

"You're not getting in without one, so get it over with," he said before he disappeared.

"Please state your name and business," the voice repeated.

"I want mine to say 'Levia-tan'!" Serafall cried excitedly. "Uh… I'm here with Harry?"

Another scarlet-red badge slid out of the slot. She snatched it up and examined it. To her delight, it read 'Miracle Levia-tan, Magical Girl, with Harry' in gold. She affixed it to the front of her shirt and puffed her chest out in pride as another teleportation circle appeared beneath her. Harry and Ajuka stared at the empty space where she'd been for a while before they turned to each other.

"You first?" the Satan offered. "She's your responsibility as far as I'm concerned."

"She's in charge of _your_ government's Foreign Affairs Department," Harry countered. "I'll be busy with my own meeting, so technically it's up to you two to establish relations."

"…Don't remind me."

"Please state your name and business," the robotic voice droned.

The two of them glanced at the Ajuka cleared his throat.

"Ajuka Beelzebub. I'm here to establish relations with the Hexennacht Order."

The badge that the payphone produced was blue this time. In bronze letters, the name 'Ajuka Astaroth' was spelled out in bold letters, shocking the man it was meant for. Harry smiled wryly. Below it, the words 'Diplomat, Doing His Job' were printed in the same standard font the rest of the badges had used. The Devil shook his head in exasperation and pinned it to his breast pocket.

"Of course," he mumbled. "Why did I expect anything else? Harry's supposed to be in charge."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

Ajuka smirked at the Wizard as he vanished in his own teleportation circle. The last man in the nondescript room huffed and walking forward until he was standing in front of the phone mounted on the wall. He spoke before it could prompt him.

"Harry Potter. Here for a meeting."

Nothing happened. He blinked and tried again.

"My name's Harry Potter. I'm here to see Augusta and her adopted daughter."

The sound of static filled the room for a brief second. Through the noise, Harry could hear a voice, high-pitched enough for him to assume it belonged to a young woman, or possibly a teenager. Whoever it was, she sounded annoyed. He couldn't make out words since the voice was distorted, but it became clearer over time. Eventually, the person on the other end got fed up and slammed her hands onto a hard surface. The call became crystal clear for a few seconds.

"Who cares what color it is? Reset the damn thing and give him white! …And don't waste my time with this shit!"

Then the sound cut off, replaced by a dial tone. Soon, it too stopped, and the robotic voice was back.

"Please state your name and business."

"Uh. Harry Potter. Here for my meeting." A pause. "If it helps, I was in Gryffindor," he added.

Almost immediately, a scarlet badge popped out of the machine. Harry picked it up. He read the words on it, eye twitching slightly when he got to the title. With a tired sigh, he slipped it into his pocket and triggered the teleportation on his own. The destination on his badge was different than the ones on the badges of his companions, so he assumed it was supposed to take him directly to the meeting point.

The room he appeared in was a room he knew very well. In fact, he knew it so well he did a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A slew of self-diagnostic spells followed, along with a self-locator that returned a familiar set of coordinates in Scotland. Just as Harry was about to escalate his magic use, a powerful containment ward sprung up around him. He suppressed his natural reaction to being imprisoned since the ley lines would not have appreciated his destruction of the ward they were linked to. He considered taking control of the whole thing, but the voice from before interrupted his thoughts.

"I keep telling you little shits to stay out of the Headmaster's office, but nooo. One of you always has to be the stereotypical idiot. If you're not Gryffindor, I'm changing your House effective yesterday."

He made eye contact with a blonde woman with countless small ribbons in her hair. She looked down at his chest. Her eyes narrowed and her hair gained a red streak. The Wizard blinked. She raised a finger to point at him, a small purple ember on its tip.

"Who the fuck are you? How'd you get here?" she demanded.

Harry raised his hands placatingly. He reached into his pocket slowly and withdrew his badge. The woman read it and narrowed her eyes further. The ember became a fist-sized fireball.

"Nice try. I changed my mind. You're expelled."

She shot it at the ward. It passed through and was caught by the man inside.

"Huh?"

"You could just ask your mother to confirm my identity. Or the Sorting Hat," Harry remarked candidly. He tossed the fireball up and down. At the height of one of his tosses, it hung in the air for a moment before floating down and settling on his shoulder.

The woman stared at him and her traitorous fireball in disbelief. Waving her hand did nothing. After a couple of seconds of pointless gesturing she pinched the bridge of her nose and mentally dismissed the fireball. When it refused to obey even that, her eye twitched. Harry valiantly fought down his laughter. She glared at him and sighed.

"Fuck, you're totally where she gets it from," she muttered.

"I take offense at that."

"Yeah? You can take your offense and shove it."

She deactivated the wards, freeing him. She then walked past him and examined the spell matrix hidden on the desk. She didn't find anything out of place, so she turned towards him.

"Why did it register you as an intruder?" she asked without preamble.

"What was supposed to happen?"

"You were supposed to show up in MY office, not this one."

Harry hummed contemplatively.

"Well, my identity is normally obscured by my cloak, so…" Speaking of, he missed having it handy. Too bad Lord Orion was using it.

"Doesn't matter. We know how to detect magical signatures through all of em except one, and you're not under Fidelius. Mm?" the woman paused. "Dammit. Yes you are."

"I am?" As powerful as the charm was, he never bothered to use it on himself since he had the cloak's magic.

"Your identity as the Master of the Order is. Must have messed with the detection spell…"

She trailed off and began pacing back and forth silently. Eventually, she stopped by the door and shrugged.

"It'll give the eggheads something to look into," she mumbled. She looked over her shoulder at him, her hair turning to silver. Harry blinked at how similar she looked to Augusta. They could easily have been mistaken for actual blood-related family. "Welcome to the Hexennacht and all that. Or, welcome back, I guess. I'm Walburga, but people like to call me Shien. Pick whatever you want; I don't care. Follow me to the sealing chamber." She walked out of the room without bothering to see if he listened to her. He smirked and went after her. Like mother, like daughter, it seemed.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The sealing chamber was protected by a ridiculous amount of spells, even by Harry's standards, which necessitated travel by foot. He could tell the castle was magically assisting them in reaching their location, since the distance they covered was disproportionate to the short amount of time they'd been walking. As they traversed another empty corridor, he wondered where everyone was. From what he had heard, the Hexennacht counted hundreds upon thousands of Magicians among its numbers. Relatively small in comparison to the other organizations part of the Magician's Council, but certainly enough to warrant some other signs of life in a castle the size of Hogwarts. He voiced as much to his guide.

"This castle is the headquarters for the Order," Walburga stated as if that answered everything. "Only Order members get to come here. Your friends are at our other base in London." Harry was tempted to search her soul, but refrained since she was (probably) his ally and he didn't like to use that ability on allies. Using it to skim surface thoughts as a lie-detector was much different than diving deeper.

"Is the Order an elite association?" he tried.

"In a way. Members of the Order have the potential."

"To be witches and wizards?" Harry asked. His question was more curious than hopeful.

Walburga scoffed.

"As if. No, we'll never use raw magic like you. Rugal might come close since he's got Mom's genes, but he's not much of a Magician."

"Then what potential are you talking about?"

"An in-between of sorts," she said as they turned a corner. "Hat calls us all Descendants. We're not, at least not of wizards and witches as far as we know. Slipped up when we were alone and called you the Ascendant too once. Normally you're just 'Master'."

Harry frowned at the reminder of his title, spelled out in big bold letters on his badge. He had collected a lot of nicknames in his years of life, but he had only been called the Ascendant by one person before, and that person was technically himself. The Hat hadn't been around when Time had fractured, so he could only assume it had obtained the information from his mind after the fact. He didn't mind, since the magic woven in the Hat's being prevented it from spilling potentially harmful secrets to those who could take advantage of them.

"So what are Descendants?"

"We can use magic we're not supposed to be able to," Walburga elaborated with a bored tone. "I can use chaos magic, and Rugal's got his aural senses and whatever he inherited from Mom. The rest are mostly theological magic users, though we've got a couple more exotic ones like that one guy who can use chakra. When we first picked him up, the researchers thought his ramen addiction was to blame."

"But no raw magic?"

"None. Hurts us just as much as the rest of the schmucks that make up our organization."

"You don't seem to have a very high opinion of your fellow Magicians," Harry noted.

"Why should I? The idiots blow themselves up every other week, and when they're not blowing themselves up, they're blowing each other up. Or just blowing each other. Fuck if I know. Or care."

They stopped in front of a wooden door that looked identical to every other door they'd passed on their short journey. Rather than knock or do anything a normal person might do when presented with a closed door, Walburga walked through it as if it didn't exist. She vanished from Harry's senses as soon as she was on the other side, leading him to believe it was designed to teleport people if it was closed. He wondered how such a spell differentiated between people who were and weren't authorized to go to the other location, but soon realized the badges acted as authorization. Clever system, that. He put one hand through first to make sure he wasn't about to walk right into a solid surface, and proceeded forward when it didn't make contact. The room he found himself in afterwards made him pause.

It was a veritable cavern, the only light source coming from several concentric rings of runes on the floor and in the air around a raised platform in the middle. The walls and ceiling were invisible in the darkness despite the bright glow of the runes, and the floor seemed to be made of polished white marble. Floating in the air, suspended in a prone position with her arms crossed over her chest, was Augusta. The Sorting Hat was sat on her head in defiance of gravity, parallel to the ground. Standing just outside the outermost circle of runes was Walburga, staring at him expectantly.

Harry crossed the short distance separating them and stopped when he was next to her. He absentmindedly noted he could not see where he entered from when he looked behind him.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

"Ready for?"

"You're the Master of Death, aren't you? Send her off after I release her soul from stasis."

He blinked.

"Wait, what?"

"What are you, deaf? I'm going to stop the spell. You're going to give her a proper sendoff. Basically, do your job."

"I thought I was here to bring her back to life," Harry said slowly.

"So she can blow up the castle again? Not likely. No, she's hung around long enough. Just cut her loose so I can take full control of the Sacred Gear, and then I'll help you with whatever it is you need it for."

"Shouldn't we wake her up first?"

"I assure you, Master. She is fully awake and prepared for this," the Hat spoke up. Harry started and looked at it.

"You're not in stasis?" he asked.

"It would be rather difficult to communicate with you if I were."

"Wait, if her soul is in stasis, how did she talk with me in Kyoto?"

"If you'll recall, she did not talk to you."

"Enough already," Walburga cut in. "I got shit to do. If you want to have some sort of final words with her, be my guest. I need to release her either way. Here goes."

Before Harry could stop her, she held out her badge. The runes reacted immediately, spinning and changing shape. His knowledge of various languages told him they were changing their meaning from 'stop' to something like 'allow'. He could feel the flow of magic in the room shifting with the runes, and soon, he sensed the presence of a familiar signature. As numerous white wisps began coalescing into a vaguely humanoid figure in front of him, Harry noticed Walburga walking away. Her body quickly faded into the surrounding darkness as the runes dimmed.

"Don't take too long," she said as she vanished completely.

The room was plunged into near total darkness. Harry could barely see anywhere except for the ghostly figure in front of him. The problem was soon rectified when a multitude of bright purple fireballs sprang into life around the two of them. The silvery blob was like the subject of a camera coming into focus as it solidified into the form of Augusta, dress and all, but sans Sorting Hat. Her entire appearance was tinged grey, but Harry could make out hints of color. She looked much more alive than when they had met in Kyoto. When she was done materializing, the woman wrapped him in a surprise hug that he didn't resist but also didn't fully return, patting her on the back hesitantly. She pulled away and giggled at him. Unlike their previous meeting, he could hear her just fine.

"Augusta, what's the meaning of this?"

"Geez. I missed you too, Harry!" she said with a small pout. "And what's with that weak pat on the back nonsense? Gimme a proper hug, dammit!" She smiled at him and spread her arms wide. He gave her a flat look. "Aw fine. Be that way, spoilsport. I guess now that you're married, you don't need little ol' me anymore. I'll have you know my hugs are special! People would pay good money to have me hug them!"

"Why are you passing on?"

"Boo. You're no fun at all. What happened to the man that blew up my hubby's pack of furries all those years ago?"

Harry grimaced at the reminder of what had happened when they first met.

"I told you that was an accident. A misunderstanding. Now stop avoiding the question. Why did you call me here, if not to bring you back to life?"

"It was the best accident ever! You even kidnapped me and we had tea! It was great!"

"Augusta, you're not going to annoy me into doing anything. I know at least a dozen other people who are much better at it than you, and half of them literally have centuries of practice."

The ghost woman frowned, her overly cheerful demeanor lessening.

"Why can't you ever just do as I want?" she complained. "Everyone else does it."

"I'm long past the point of doing things on a whim," Harry responded. "I don't have the luxury anymore."

"In other words, shit's gone down faster than expected. Phooey." Augusta huffed, her bubbly nature muted for the time being. She gained a slightly mischievous look. "I don't suppose I can convince you to just give in and enjoy yourself?" She smiled wistfully when she saw how determined he was. "Guess not, huh. Always the overly nosy type, you were."

The purple flames around them winked out, once more blinding Harry. A moment later, he had to cover his eyes to adjust to the suddenly well-lit room. When he brought his hand away, the Wizard could see they were standing on a polished white floor that expanded as far as the eye could see in every direction. There were no walls or ceiling in sight. In fact, there was nothing to be seen except for the floor and the raised platform behind Augusta, who was now sitting in a makeshift chair made of the fire from her Sacred Gear.

"Well? Pull up a seat," she said. "This is quite possibly the only time I'll ever get to explain anything to you, so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts."

Harry conjured a simple armchair and did as suggested. As soon as he was seated, the woman across from him nodded and beamed. He couldn't help but return the smile just a little.

"So! After you left to do whatever it was you were doing, the Hat and I had a talk about what I was going to do," she began. "Of course, I wanted to follow you, but since you basically abandoned me in the middle of nowhere without any way tracking you, that wasn't really an option. So I asked it where you might go."

"I told her you were likely to revisit the site of Hogwarts Castle at some point in the future," the Hat took over. Harry blinked as he registered its presence in his soul. He looked over to the unmoving body of the woman behind the manifestation of her soul and saw that the witch's hat that had previously sat on her head was nowhere to be found. "Do not worry, Master. I will leave in short order, as I am bound to this castle. But, it will be quicker to show you the next part."

Images rushed through his head in rapid succession. Augusta and her husband arguing. Fenrir caving in and escorting her to Scotland. Bits and pieces of their journey. Her arrival at the empty spot where Hogwarts once stood. Her discovery of the unusually high concentration of raw magic in the area. The first time she successfully manipulated it. The way it had responded, revealing that, even if the castle was no longer there, its magic remained. The last memory played out in his mind.

" _Hogwarts?" Augusta asked the Hat._

" _Indeed."_

" _Hmph. Weird name. Just like him," Fenrir growled sullenly._

 _Augusta giggled and patted her husband's head. His sulking lessened, but he refused to show any form of happiness._

" _Aww. Don't be like that! You know I love you more!"_

" _That's not the problem, though it bugs me that you love him at all," the werewolf said. "You can feel it too, right? This place is dangerous for us."_

" _Really? I think it's perfect!"_

" _Unless you're trying to commit suicide, you couldn't possibly do anything here."_

" _Tut tut! Hey Hat! You said there used to be a castle here, right?"_

" _Hogwarts Castle, yes."_

" _Well, let's build it again!"_

 _Fenrir snapped out of the mild trance her petting had put him into._

" _Are you mad? You want to live here?"_

" _No, I want to build a castle! Weren't you listening?"_

" _You're going to build a castle… and not live in it?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _I'm not stopping you, dear, but why?" the Hat asked. "The castle itself is mostly symbolic. It's rather pointless to rebuild it without people to live in it."_

 _For once, Fenrir agreed with the crazy talking hat the equally crazy Magician had left his debatably crazy wife._

" _And I can't live here," he added. "Heck, you're probably the only person in the world who could."_

" _Well… not exactly."_

 _He swore in his heart he would find a way to burn that fucking hat if it gave his wife any more ideas. Coming here all the way from Romania was bad enough, not to mention he'd left all of his pack back in the mountains since they couldn't enter the area with such a high concentration of raw magic._

" _What do you mean?" Augusta asked curiously._

" _While you may be the only non-wizard left capable of manipulating raw magic, you are hardly the only human capable of surviving under such conditions," the Sorting Hat answered authoritatively. "There are in fact many who would thrive, and many others who would be able to adjust to the exposure, your husband included. More importantly, you might in time become a fully-fledged witch."_

 _Her eyes lit up. Fenrir growled and contemplated the ethics of murdering a magically-animated object._

" _Done! We'll live here!"_

" _Baby, please. Think this through."_

" _Okay." She paused. "Done. We're living here."_

 _He facepalmed._

" _And I'm gonna go find the other people like me!"_

" _What?" her husband asked in confusion._

" _We're all gonna live here! We can study magic together and everything! When Harry finally decides to show up, he'll find a bunch of new witches and wizards waiting for him!"_

 _Fenrir's mind spun. His attempt to talk some sense into his verifiably crazy wife was curtailed by the Hat._

" _Might I suggest founding a Magician's organization, then? With the promise of lost magicks and the protection this site naturally affords you, you could easily strike a deal with the leader of their Council."_

" _That's a great idea!"_

" _Wait, no! NO! I disagree! This is a terrible idea!" Fenrir shouted frantically._

" _Overruled~"_

" _Augusta!"_

" _Oh hush, you big baby! It'll be fine!"_

Harry came back to the present. He noticed the Hat was no longer a part of him, instead physically sitting on his head.

"We contacted the Council and Mephisto himself paid us a visit. With his help, Hogwarts was reconstructed in record time," it stated. "The following years were spent adding all manner of enchantments and wards to it. I daresay this castle is even more well-protected than the original."

"Yep yep! And look how far we've come! We've also made tons of progress in researching new magic too!" Augusta boasted proudly.

"That explains a lot, but not what I'm here for," Harry said.

The budding witch puffed her cheeks out.

"Give me the old Harry back," she demanded petulantly. "The old Harry would have praised me, given me a head pat, and told me what a good job I did."

"Yes yes, you're amazing, Augusta. You did an incredible job with this castle and your organization. Good girl."

"I'm waiting for the head pat."

Harry gave her an exasperated look, but levitated himself with his chair until he was close enough to reach her. Then he rested a hand on her semi-transparent head and gave it a good couple of pats.

"Mm. Good enough, I suppose."

"If time weren't dilated in this chamber, I wouldn't be willing to play along with you so much."

"I knew you'd notice! You're the best!"

He smirked at her honest compliment.

"So, why do you want me to send you off, really? You can pass on anytime you want without my input."

"Ah, back to business already? Damn. Well, I guess that's okay, but you and I are gonna spend at least a couple of hours in here after. I want to hear all about your marriage, buster!"

"It hasn't happened yet, but alright. So?"

"Well, it was more the Hat's idea than mine. Y'see, back when you left, it had a good outline of what you were trying to do to fight against the whole 'end of the world' thing. And it came up with an idea to let you survive your own endgame!"

Harry blinked.

"What?"

"Without the Hallows, you know you won't live if you encounter the End again. Normally, you would be able to survive by binding your soul to someone else who can survive, but uh… your magic gets in the way of that. But, you can still do it another way. It's complicated, but if you get enough others to bind themselves into your service, you don't have to fuel the sealing ritual yourself. The only problem is, their soul needs to be powerful enough." Augusta's face fell a bit. "I'm sure I qualify, so I volunteered. Plus, you can use my Sacred Gear as another anchor! But, I don't think anyone else but my children would work. Sorry."

"You actually did it."

"Whahuh?"

Harry stood from his chair. The Sorting Hat on his head chuckled.

"It appears the old adage of great minds thinking alike has been proven true once more. In fact, with this, I do believe that you have at last proven your mental superiority over me, Master."

Augusta tilted her head cutely.

"I don't get it. Explain it to me better!"

"Patience, dear Augusta. I am in the midst of doing so."

Harry was about to ask what the Hat meant, but then realized that it was no longer on his head. He looked back towards the platform and saw it back with its owner. The woman in front of him widened her eyes and beamed at him.

"Really?! That's great! Your plan is ten times better than my plan! I changed my mind! Bring me back, bring me back!"

"Do you promise not to blow up the castle?"

"Aw, that was the one time! My little Shien worries too much!"

"My dear Augusta, you have managed to destroy parts of the castle on no less than seven separate occasions," the Hat pointed out. "Only one of those times was on purpose."

"Augusta…"

"Fine! I promise to be more careful! No more experimental magic in uncontrolled environments!"

She leapt from her fiery seat and latched onto Harry's arm.

"C'mon! It'll be great! It'll be fun!"

"It's hard to believe that you were perfectly fine with death a minute ago."

"That was before I knew you had it handled! Now c'mon!"

"I'm still waiting on over half the containers."

"Pfft. You and I both know you'll get them one way or another if you really have to. And now you've got a spare in me if you need it!"

Harry looked at her flatly.

"I'm not going to bring you to life so I can sacrifice you later."

"Will you relax already! Geez! With the amount of sex you get with Sera, how can you still be this uptight?"

He spluttered indignantly and failed to escape her suddenly tight grip.

"Maybe it's because you keep turning her ideas down? You've got what, like two dozen other women you could fuck?"

His first thought was that that number was greatly exaggerated, with images of Shirone, Kuroka, and Yasaka coming to mind. His second was that he shouldn't have just thought about them since the way Augusta's eyes lit up told him she had caught his temporary lapse in concentration. Her casual use of vulgar language was really throwing him off.

"There's fidelity, and then there's being a prude. Especially when the person you're being faithful to is actively encouraging it. Just think of it as spicing up your relationship! I know you've practiced polygamy before, so what's the big deal?"

"I have not!"

"What?!" Somehow, her shocked question hurt. "You've never had sex with multiple women at once?! How?! Are you secretly gay?! Actually wait, that doesn't make sense…"

"Master has a very strong set of values," the Hat interjected. Harry was about to agree with it, until it kept speaking. "They often prevent him from fully enjoying what life has to offer."

"Y'know, that explains so much." More spluttering. "I bet a couple of years with me and Shien will corrupt him."

"You're roping your daughter into this?!"

"Hm? Oh, don't be fooled. She thinks the world of you. As a Magician anyway. You're her role model."

Harry was flattered, but he should have known better.

"Give it a couple of weeks and she'll probably wanna hop in bed with you too," Augusta said cheerfully. "Careful though, I'm pretty sure she's the opposite of me. And by that, I mean she's totally a sadist."

His eye twitched. Idly, he made a note to keep both of them away from Akeno.

"Speaking of which, since Fenrir's dead, can you introduce me to your wife? I promise we'll get along great!"

"You're not corrupting Sera."

"Oh, Harry. You say that as if she's pure!"

Upon further thought, he conceded that point. Harry's heart sank as he imagined how the meeting would go. Oh God, she was going to go straight to his wife and ask to marry him, and she would probably be completely fine with being under her. And him. In more ways than one. He shook his head to dispel the mental image that accompanied that last thought.

"Now c'mon and bring me back to life already! I wanna get out of this stupid room!"

He strongly debated the merits of leaving her there.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"…Mom?"

"Shien!"

"Mom, wait, stop! I'm in the middle of something! Don't-"

Anything else Walburga was about to say was muffled by her foster mother's modest assets. Ajuka stared incredulously at the display. He turned a questioning look towards Harry.

"Ahem. Ajuka, meet Augusta. She's the founder of the Hexennacht," the Wizard introduced.

"Hi!" Augusta chirped. Her daughter succeeded in freeing herself momentarily before she was once again pulled into an embrace from behind. After a few minutes of fruitless struggling, she gave up and directed a pointed glare in Harry's direction. He smiled genially at her from his spot at the entrance to her office in London.

"Master. Why is my mother here? And clearly not _dead_?" Walburga ground out.

"Well, a lot of things happened."

"Oh? Please. Do fucking tell."

"Language, young lady."

Walburga growled at the woman holding her as she was bopped on the head.

"Fuck you! You cuss all the time!"

"I'm allowed to because I'm your mother and a responsible adult."

"What kind of bullshit is that?! We're almost the same age now!"

"I know, right? Thanks a bunch, Harry! You're the best!"

Ajuka sighed tiredly.

"Should I… excuse myself?" the lone Devil in the room asked. When Harry and Augusta had entered, the other aides had done so instantly at the sight of the overly cheerful woman returned from the grave.

"Mm? Why? Just keep doing whatever you were doing before."

The others deadpanned at the silver-haired woman clinging to Walburga, whose own silver hair was slowly gaining red streaks throughout, interspersed with a couple of pink ones.

"Right…" He hesitated, but saw that his fellow leader was trying her best to maintain some semblance of professionalism, so responded in kind. "I understand that your organization values secrecy, but are you sure that you are the only one who will be participating?"

"Yes. Everyone else knows better than to parade the fruits of our research around, or at least they'd better."

"Mm? Participating?"

"In the upcoming Joint Rating Tournament hosted by the Three Factions," Ajuka elaborated.

"Ooooh! I wanna join!"

"Absolutely not." The denial came from Harry, surprisingly. Augusta looked a bit hurt. He checked the privacy wards carefully before he went on. "Your magic is too similar to mine and… Orion's. And revealing that you can manipulate raw magic is not a good idea."

"Booooo."

"Don't 'boo' me, Augusta. If you show up as part of the Magician's team under Mephisto, people will ask questions we're not prepared to answer."

"Then let me join your team! You gotta be able to explain that away somehow!"

"That's… actually not a bad idea," Walburga said. The entire room turned to her.

"It isn't?" Augusta asked in confusion. She had expected much more resistance from the woman she was still holding on to.

"In fact, you told me this Tyrant of yours got famous for recruiting him, right?" the Magician asked, indicating Harry. "If that's the case, it wouldn't be strange for him to know others like him."

"My magic is supposed to be unique. A lost system."

"And what are we famous for if not the study of lost magic?"

As she spoke, her mother's grin widened until she was beaming. Walburga grunted as she was suddenly squeezed in the tightest hug yet.

"That's PERFECT! You're amazing, Shien! Harry, do it! Who are you again? Actually, I don't care; if Harry won't do it then take me to the Underworld and I'll do it myself!"

Ajuka stared with a mixture of amusement and bemusement at Augusta.

"It's like I'm talking to Serafall's twin sister…"

"Don't remind me," Harry groaned.

"Oh. Harry's wife? Is she here too? Take me to her! I have something important to discuss with her!"

"Another one, Harry?" Ajuka asked wryly.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing…"

Harry glared halfheartedly at the unrepentant Satan. Meanwhile, Walburga finally succeeded in dislodging her mother from her position, tossing her over her shoulder at Harry in an unexpectedly advanced display of martial arts from a Magician. The target Wizard took a large step to the left as the human missile flew past him and bounced off of the office door with a comical _boing_ sound effect. She landed on her feet.

"That wasn't very nice, Shien," she chided.

"If you wanna jump into bed with him that much, be my guest," Walburga deadpanned. "Just leave it for when I'm not around to hear you two go at it. And keep it out of my important meetings, dammit!"

"I think she takes after you," Augusta remarked, looking at Harry.

"Ha ha."

Walburga blinked as she thought of an idea.

"Mom. You wanna know where his fiancé is?"

Harry's eyes widened. She wouldn't. Augusta immediately snapped to attention.

"Yes! Where?"

"East Wing. Room 407. If you can't find her by the time you get there, she's probably moved on to 409."

The hyperactive witch was out the door faster than Harry had ever seen her move.

"…I hope you realize what you've done," he said.

"Removed an obstacle to progress. You can thank me later."

"We'll see if you feel the same after she gets back. And brings Sera with her."

Ajuka cursed under his breath, but soon came upon a solution.

"Harry. I'm not sorry."

The other man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Walburga caught on to what the Satan was subtly indicating by adjusting his collar and brushing his fingers against the badge pinned to his breast. She smiled at Harry.

"Goodbye, Master. I'll be seeing you later."

His confused expression didn't change even as he was instantly transported away with a loud _crack_.

"I wasn't sure if that would work," Ajuka admitted. "Harry's supernaturally gifted when it comes to detecting and blocking magic."

"Relic from the past. His kind called it 'Apparition'."

"Ah, that thing he always does? Why the sound?"

"He can do it silently? Damn. We were so sure that couldn't be removed… Ah well, he wouldn't be the Master if he wasn't, well, the Master."

The Satan grinned.

"For all your complaining, you actually admire him, don't you?"

"Shut yer trap, damn you." Walburga sighed and rubbed at her eyes. When she opened them again, they had sharpened considerably. "Now, where were we?"

Ajuka's expression turned deadly serious as well. After all, it wasn't right that Harry went around fixing all their problems by himself all the time. The Devils were a competent force by themselves before he came around. He greatly appreciated the Wizard's help, but Harry had enough on his plate with the other pantheons. The least he could do as the man's friend and ally was handle basic reconnaissance on his own.

"The Khaos Brigade. You said you did research for them?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 **Present**

Le Fay Pendragon nervously tugged at the brim of her sky blue witch's hat. The black ribbon it was adorned with fluttered a bit in the wind as she floated in midair on her broomstick. She turned to face the direction of the slight breeze as some of her blonde hair got in her face. It was then that she spotted the person she was waiting for. Her white dress billowed out behind her as she travelled through the air at a leisurely pace, the star pattern decorating the bottom edge shimmering with her movement. When she reached him, she brushed imaginary dust off of her clothing and matching cape before curtsying as best she could while sitting on a broomstick.

"Nice to meet you, Master!" she chirped brightly. "Le Fay Pendragon, at your service!"

"Please, call me Harry. Is it just you here?"

"Ah. Yes, my brother is waiting at our destination, but I am the only one here. Is that okay?" she asked worriedly.

Harry waved her concerns off.

"It's fine. Do you have a clear picture of the place in mind?"

"Yes!"

He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Good. This'll only take a moment."

He skimmed her surface thoughts and immediately got a mental image of what looked like a fort surrounded by vast forests. As the image zoomed in, he saw a fairly nondescript clearing just outside of a glowing blue line that encompassed the whole building. When he focused more on the area within, several differently colored regions began to outline themselves. He praised Le Fay in his mind for being able to so clearly differentiate and visualize different warding zones as he looked over each of them in turn. He could tell the girl was appreciative of his message by the way a wave of happiness and pride washed over her thoughts.

"Alright. I'm guessing the clearing's where we're headed?"

"Mhm!"

"Stay still."

With a thought, he apparated the both of them. There was no sense in risking conventional teleportation. Their arrival startled the other occupant of the wide open space. Harry supposed he could have passed for a distant relation of Yuuto's. Maybe his uncle or something.

"M-Master. Sister. Welcome." He hurriedly removed his hand from the hilt of the sword at his waist when he recognized them and straightened his clothing. "Ahem. My name is Arthur Pendragon, Master. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed gracefully.

"None of that. Call me Harry, I insist. How's the situation?"

"About that. Bikou, descendant of Sun Wukong and the current Monkey King, is standing guard. I would like to reiterate that everything about this is unnatural. It's unlike Ophis to leave herself so unguarded. She even excused us the moment the others left."

Harry regarded him critically.

"You think it's a trap?"

"She may intend to fight or capture you herself," Le Fay said.

"But the rest of the Khaos Brigade?"

"Nowhere to be found and extremely unlikely to return. Of course, I have no doubt Ophis could facilitate such a thing if she wished, but she has never done so before now," Arthur replied dutifully.

"Then it's fine. Have you discovered where everyone's gone yet?"

"Unfortunately, no. Our team was assigned guard duty and left completely out of the loop on the most recent operation."

"I see. Don't worry about it. Ajuka says he has a reliable lead and has it under control. He'll let me know if anything develops that requires my presence."

"As you say. My sister and I will move to join with him now."

"Go. I can make it to Ophis on my own."

Arthur nodded and stepped next to his sister protectively. He gave another bow as a long-range teleportation circle expanded at their feet. Le Fay curtsied before giving him a happy little wave that he returned.

"Godspeed, Master Harry."

"G'luck, Harry!"

And then they were gone.

Harry took a deep breath and considered how best to proceed. He had purposefully kept all spellcasting, charms, and other magic to a minimum to disguise his presence. Even his mage sight had been restrained in case it was somehow detectable. To use magic now would defeat the point. That being said, all of the wards would undoubtedly detect him since he didn't have his cloak. There was no way to key him into it, since the wards had apparently been cast by a member of the Hero Faction. Georg, if he remembered correctly.

Well, his constant protection would at least prevent the wards from going off instantly. He had at least ten minutes to make it to Ophis' room at the back of the fort, which was more than enough time for him to navigate around the more lethal warding schemes. Conveniently, there was a path through the wards that circumvented all of them. Once he reached his goal, escape was a simple apparition away. While he would prefer to have a conversation with the age-old entity, the main objective of his trip here was to confirm Ophis' identity. Souls never lied, and Harry would never forget what Infinity's looked like. If not for the incredibly elaborate concealment ward on the entity's room, he would no doubt have been able to sense the presence or absence of the concept from outside. As it were, he might be able to once he got close enough. Of course, all of this necessitated entrance.

His course of action decided, Harry breathed deeply one last time before breaking into a dead sprint for a side wall. His eyes were fixed on an opening, likely a window, about two stories up. As soon as he reached the wall, he leapt and scaled the remaining couple of meters with pure momentum from his running jump, hoisting himself over the threshold of the window with ease.

The stone room he found himself in must have been an armory or a perhaps a defensive rallying point of some sort. Firearms of all types were neatly stacked in rows against the wall, looking out of place among the primitive stone architecture. The only exit to the room didn't even have a door, being just a roughly-hewn rectangle in the wall that opened into a hallway.

Harry checked his mental map and began dashing down the featureless gray passageways, heedless of the noise he was generating. It wasn't like anyone was around to hear him, and even if they did, the echoes made it nigh impossible to determine the source as long as he kept making noise. It was a rather counterintuitive solution to his time limit.

As he ran, Harry examined the walls and ceiling with some slight confusion. If he didn't know any better, he'd have pegged this place as being chiseled into a cliff face with the amount of plain rock everywhere. The wooden floor was the only sign of modern architecture. Even the lighting was mostly provided by the sun, unlit torches dotting the darker sections of the corridors. None of the rooms he had passed were much different than the room he had started in, which was both worrying and puzzling since the fort didn't have that many openings. Figuring the rest were hidden by magic, Harry paid them no mind as he continued on his way towards the back.

After a few minutes of running, he rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a staff held by none other than Bikou, whom he recognized from Vali's description of him. The teenager's ancient Chinese armor was a dead giveaway if his staff wasn't enough of a signature item. The brown-haired youth let out a sigh of relief and smiled with some embarrassment.

"Sorry 'bout that. Never can be too sure, y'know?"

"Is Ophis still there?" Harry asked, looking at the lone door that sealed off the space that was Ophis' room from the rest of the miniature fortress.

"Creepy as can be, yeah. See for yourself," Bikou offered, indicating a peephole that was designed so that it allowed others to look in rather than vice-versa. "I'll be going now, if you don't mind. Good luck." He didn't wait for an answer and snapped his fingers, a delayed-activation magic circle materializing at his feet and teleporting him elsewhere.

Harry nodded absentmindedly as he walked up to the peephole. The inside of the room was vastly different to the rest of the fort. For one, it was actually furnished with something other than weapons or wooden tables and chairs. A normal queen bed situated dead center against the back wall took up about a third of the space, the rest of the carpeted floor completely barren of anything. His attention was drawn to the figure sitting on the bed.

Vali's description of her had been accurate, much to Harry's dismay. The little girl appeared no older than thirteen and wore the one of the most ridiculous outfits he had ever seen. It was a purple and black Gothic Lolita dress with entire front portion removed. The only things tying the two halves of her outfit together were two sets of purple cloth strips that were each no wider than a couple of centimeters tied together on her abdomen. The two crosses of black tape covering her nipples made it even more outrageous. For pants, she wore a pair of puffy white shorts that barely reached mid-thigh.

Deciding lingering any further was damaging to his sanity, Harry looked the opposite direction and saw pointed elfin ears, the first similarity to the Ophis he was more familiar with. Long black hair cascaded down past her waist, another trait that the male Ophis used to have. Dull grey eyes further supported the theory that they were one and the same, since the only time the other being had bothered to change eye colors was the one time he mimicked Serafall's appearance. However, the resemblances ended there, and there was also a hint of green in the little girl's eyes. Never before had Ophis ever assumed such a young form. The majority of the time he had known the entity, Harry saw him in male forms, even if they were more than a bit androgynous. Despite the flatness of the girl's chest, there was no mistaking her gender with how effeminate her face and the rest of her body were. Any further examination was halted when she raised her head and met his eye through the peephole.

Without hesitation, he grasped the doorknob, twisted, and pushed the door open in one swift motion. The girl on the bed did not react to his entrance, her expression blank. As soon as he stepped into the room, Harry was hit with the feeling of endlessness he associated with his old friend, along with another, much more familiar feeling that he couldn't quite place. Utilizing his mage sight for the first time since entering the fort, he confirmed what his other senses were already telling him.

"Ophis?"

Still, she didn't do anything, just staring at the man that had barged into her room after spying on her. When the thought crossed his mind, Harry fought down a grimace at how his actions seemed.

"Ophis," he repeated. "It's me, Harry. Do you remember me?"

The little girl blinked. A spark of recognition flashed through her eyes, but it was quickly gone.

"Harry…?"

He took a couple of steps forward, apparition primed and ready just in case. In their few spars, Ophis had proven capable of overcoming him in mere moments. If he wasn't already in the middle of escaping or defending against the being's attacks, he was overwhelmed.

"Yes. That's me," he said, approaching as slowly and as non-threateningly as possible. "We used to be friends. Still are, if you're okay with it."

"Master…?"

"Yeah. Remember how I got that name? You even helped."

"Why… are you here?"

"I came to see if you were okay. I came to talk to you, Ophis."

"I'm okay. But… not Ophis."

Harry blinked. His blood ran cold.

"What?"

"Not… Ophis. Devil called me… Lilith. Ophis… not here. Not okay."

He stopped hiding his abilities. All of his senses went on full alert as his power raged around him. The little girl, Lilith, stared at him blankly as he looked around for any signs of an ambush. When he found none, he reined his energy in and turned back towards her.

"Lilith?"

"Yes?"

"Where's Ophis?"

"Don't know."

"How do you know he's not okay?"

"He's… a she. Like me. She's… hurt. Poisoned."

He mentally reclassified Ophis as female until further notice. Then, Lilith's answer fully registered in his mind.

"By who? Who can poison Infinity?" Even as he asked the question, dread began to creep up his spine.

"Dragon Eater."

Harry resisted the urge to grab her and begin shouting. She was being cooperative and had shown no signs of aggression so far. Plus, she clearly had some sort of access to Ophis' powers, if not the full concept of Infinity, which made her an opponent that he was ill-prepared to face.

"Samael. Looks like I need to visit Hades," he muttered. Just then, he felt an alarm ward trigger. "Bugger. Who's that connected to?"

"Old Satans."

Bad. Now was not the time for a confrontation, even if he was confident in his chances. If they too had access to Ophis' power, there was no telling what they might be capable of, not to mention Lilith might turn on him if he fought them. Harry hijacked the magic of the fort and repurposed every single ward to block teleportation. It would hopefully hold them off long enough for him to get more answers. He decided to try his luck and dove into the girl's soul. What he found made him stop short.

"Lilith," Harry whispered, "why can you use Infinity?"

"I was… made from Ophis."

"Just Ophis?"

"No… one more. Stray soul fragment."

Not just any soul fragment. _His_ soul fragment. The one he'd given to Ophis for safekeeping centuries ago, right before the final stages of their plan commenced. That meant Lilith was made from both Ophis and him. The fusion of his soul with her power over Infinity was clean. His magic made it so. At the same time, it made her an impossibility. Someone like her was not supposed to be able to exist. Concepts were not meant to be shared.

"Who made you?"

"Ophis did. She is… my mother."

Harry's world spun. Hundreds of questions raced through his mind as he struggled to comprehend why Ophis would have done such a thing. However, one thought prevailed above the rest as he stared at the expressionless girl. He reached out to her slowly. Lilith made no move to avoid his hand, and eventually, it cupped her cheek. She blinked and gave him a questioning look.

"Lilith… you…"

The wards failed. Harry could feel several others already teleporting into the building. He sealed the door shut just as the first of them reached it.

"Lilith. Come with me," he said urgently.

"Can't. Must… attack Underworld."

"What?"

"Rizevim said so. Mother… ordered me to attack the Underworld. Attack… other Devils."

Bullshit.

"Ophis would never say that!"

"She wouldn't?"

The banging on the door grew louder. The sturdy wood cracked under the force of the heavy blows.

"No!"

"But… Mother will be hurt if I leave."

Harry's blood turned to pure ice. The door shattered, but the whole fort froze under his power.

"Who said that."

"Rizevim said so."

It took every fiber of his being not to launch a global searching spell of the most ridiculous caliber and erase the Devil from existence. Ophis was his friend. He was practically family. Brothers, or brother and sister, as it were. Lilith was as good as his daughter. The stasis spell cast over the fort began to falter, but Harry paid it no mind.

"I'll be back, Lilith. I promise. Until then, I need you to listen to me and be a good girl, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good girl. Don't tell anyone I was here." He patted her head. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. Without thinking, he conjured a bar of chocolate and hid it under her blankets. "Eat that later when nobody's around."

"Mm… Kay…"

Harry reluctantly stepped away from the blank-faced girl. He thought he saw her expression shift ever so slightly towards disappointment when he did, which made his departure even more difficult. He smiled reassuringly at her before he vanished. At the same time, the entire fort was thrown into chaos as hundreds of people teleported into it simultaneously, their very spells having been halted in time.

Lilith eyed the few people on the floor of her room with mild annoyance.

"…Loud."

They all suppressed various forms of scared sounds and quickly vacated the space. It was then that a young man with short black hair walked in, a variant of ancient Chinese robes tied around his waist and an ornate spear in his hands. Behind him was a spectacled man about his age, panting with exertion. The other man recovered somewhat and straightened from his bent over posture as the spear user addressed Lilith.

"…Ophis. Did you encounter any intruders?"

She shook her head, obeying Harry.

"Where are your guards?"

"I… dismissed them."

"I see. I apologize for the intrusion. Georg."

The man at the entrance snapped to attention.

"Got it. If you'll excuse me."

Georg repaired the door with a spell and bowed before rushing off. As the remaining man made to leave, he paused. His gaze was directed at a stray crease in the normally pristine covers.

"Ophis."

"Yes?"

There were several seconds of silence as he contemplated whether to voice his thoughts.

"…No. It's nothing. I apologize. I'll leave you to your peace."

With that, he departed, closing the door behind him and once more isolating Lilith from the rest of the world. She blinked and looked around. Finding the room to be empty and the door closed, she reached into the blanket and pulled out the chocolate bar. Idly, she bit into it. A minute later, she disintegrated the wrapper and licked her fingers clean. She was hit with a profound sadness.

"…No more."

She raised her head slightly and stared at the spot in front of her bed.

"Harry… Come back soon."

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Advance warning: Harry's many titles are not major plot points on their own. Only his main title, 'Master (of Death, the Order, his Peerage, etc.)', has any hidden meaning to it. And the meaning isn't very well hidden.

In the next chapter, Harry and Ajuka team up to prevent the attack on the Rating Tournament! Meanwhile, the Joint Rating Tournament begins! What exactly has everyone been up to?

Only the first chapter of the Rating Tournament Arc will be released for now. This is solely done to set up where everyone is and isn't, so readers know what to expect. Since the two arcs take place simultaneously, anyone who shows up in one will not make significant appearances in the other, with Harry and Serafall as the only exceptions.

* * *

 **ON THE BORDER BETWEEN OC AND CANON:**

It has recently occurred to us that Augusta, despite being mentioned in canon, could be considered an OC since she never actually appears in canon content. Most of her backstory, including her abilities and appearance, was taken from other bits and pieces of DxD. (She is the founder of Hexennacht in canon, as well as Walburga's teacher and a previous wielder of Incinerate Anthem. That's basically it. She's so obscure she doesn't even have her own character tag.) She fits neatly into the role we've molded for her, and we wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be the famous witch that is Loup Garou's mother. However, as far as we know, Rugal and Walburga have never shown any signs of recognizing each other in canon despite the fact that Walburga was Augusta's apprentice. We don't consider her an OC, but if her relative obscurity and lack of character detail makes her one in your eyes, then ignore our claim about having no OCs in our story. She is the only one to which this message applies.


	31. RT1of5 Ch21b - Kings

**Chapter 21b – Kings**

 **(Rating Tournament Arc, Part One of Five)**

* * *

In one corner of the room, away from the seven other occupants that were discussing various things among themselves, the leader of the Hexennacht Order silently and meticulously dismantled a warding spell matrix to examine its efficiency, tuning out the world around her. Every time she messed up, a small flash of light would emit from the mess of lines in her hand, usually accompanied by a pinging sound. She would then grunt and fiddle around with the matrix a little, resulting in another flash of light shortly thereafter. Her radiant smile when she finished was something Harry hadn't seen before, the abrasive woman's face usually stuck in a perpetual frown of some sort. She let the spell dissipate and soon had another in hand.

The Wizard turned his attention from his hardworking goddaughter to the Super Devil talking to him, the only Super Devil left in the Underworld now that Ajuka was away on important diplomatic business with Serafall. He pushed thoughts of Walburga's strange dual personality to the back of his mind for now as he focused on the subject of his Peerage.

"Vali's case was simple. Devils respect power, and he has it in spades."

The teenager in question puffed his chest out in pride, the wings of his Sacred Gear glowing brighter for a second. Sirzechs grinned at him, but his expression fell slightly as he continued.

"His heir status also helped, even if his not-quite Pureblood nature got in the way a little."

"I'm still the heir?" Vali interrupted. "Didn't my father banish me from the family?"

"Funny thing, that," Sirzechs answered. "He did, but after news got out a week ago that you were back, and as Harry's- sorry, Lord Orion's Dragon Piece, he disappeared. We don't have any idea where he went. Just yesterday, the core crystal of his Evil Pieces was confirmed broken, meaning he's presumed dead. Rather than let a Satan line die out, the Council was fairly eager to accept you back. Even his political allies weren't too vocal about it."

Vali grimaced. "Ugh… politics. Don't tell me I have to attend meetings now."

"I feel the same way," Sirzechs sympathized. "But no, technically you don't. Be prepared for pandering though. Lucky for you, your half-blood origins and membership in Lord Orion's Peerage should deter most."

"I guess it won't be that bad then. Thanks again, Master."

Harry, dressed in his alter ego's signature armor, waved him off.

"If you want to thank me, you can call me Orion like everyone else."

"Nyahaha, you'll always be 'Master' to me!" Kuroka chimed in, cutting Vali off. "Right, Shiro-chan?"

Shirone's ears flicked towards them from her place on a nearby couch. She looked longingly at Harry standing in the corner of Sirzechs' living room, her eyes urging him come over and sit down so she could claim her favorite spot. He easily resisted her Youjutsu hypnosis now that he knew what to look for. She pouted before responding to her sister.

"Prefer Harry."

"Ah? Well, I guess I do too, but we can't call him that when he's pretending to be Mr. Tyrant."

"Mm. Master, then."

"See? Shiro-chan agrees!"

The Nekoshou in question closed her eyes and returned to her meditation once she was sure her sister wasn't about to interrupt her with another tackle hug. She spared a single thought for how regrettable it was that she could not meditate in her favorite person's lap, but in all likelihood, she would probably have sooner fallen asleep than achieved any sort of zen state.

"All I know is it's a good thing you all have excuses to call me that, or I never would have survived the opening ceremony."

"Ah, pipe down, you big baby. It wasn't that bad," Augusta said.

"Speak for yourself," Rugal complained. "They thought all three of us were part of his Peerage. I could tell everyone was staring at us."

"That's a great idea! Master! Harry! Add me to your Peerage!"

Rugal pointedly ignored the way Harry's helmet turned to look at him, though he did meet Kuroka's challenging stare head on. Eventually, Harry sighed and turned towards the clingy witch that was bouncing around in front of him. Like her daughter and Rugal, she wore the uniform of the Hexennacht Order. At the ceremony, she was introduced as its former leader who had retired after falling gravely ill. Her miraculous recovery was attributed to Lord Orion, though the process had been exhausting. When it came time to introduce the members of each King's Peerage, Harry's absence was explained as the Wizard collecting payment in the form of a lost magic the Order researched.

"It's Orion. And for the umpteenth time, the answer is no."

"Why not?!" the witch cried indignantly. A small ping sound came from the corner, but everyone ignored it.

"Your abilities are too unnatural. We can't risk exposing you."

"Aww, you do care!"

"Of course I do. Now, you were saying, Sirzechs?"

Augusta pouted at the obvious redirection of the conversation, but dropped it for now. She had all week to convince him to come around to her way of thinking. She had never failed to make him cave before, and that was when they only saw each other once every couple of days. She skipped over to her daughter. Walburga didn't even acknowledge her presence, too absorbed in her work to notice her new observer.

"Ah, right. Anyway, Vali's pretty much in the clear. Congratulations. With Yasaka's support, Kuroka and Shirone are both basically untouchable, so you're good there too."

"How's Rossweisse adjusting?"

"Rose? She's doing great! Says her new job is infinitely better than her old one. Rias likes her too, though she misses her cute little kitten."

The Crimson Satan laughed nervously when he noticed Shirone glaring at him with one eye closed.

"Ahaha… Yeah, so about that. Any chance you could drop by with Shirone to see her? With Issei still in Heaven, I'd prefer not to have her worry about another member of her Peerage, even if she's no longer part of it."

"Wasn't she watching the opening ceremony?" Kuroka asked.

"She was too busy worrying about taking part in her own. The Rookie Tournament is a big deal for the younger generation, especially since all eyes are on the Rookie Four, who are expected to make an even bigger name for themselves."

The Rookie Four: the four most promising Devils of their generation, favorites to become the new Satans when they grew old and powerful enough. They were remarkable not only because each of them was considered much stronger than was normal for their relative youth, but also because they each held beliefs that clashed with traditional Devil values.

At their head was Sairaorg Bael, four-time winner of the previous Rookie Tournaments and the only Pureblood Devil to fight without any signature Devil abilities. Born to the prominent Bael Clan and cousin to Rias Gremory, another one of the Rookie Four, Sairaorg did not inherit his family's magic and was cast out from his clan in shame. His mother was banished with him and fell into a coma soon afterwards when he was very young. In her last waking moments, she made him promise her to become strong. Sairaorg then secluded himself to train and recruit allies. A decade later, he reemerged with a full Peerage and challenged Devil after Devil to Rating Games, winning all of them until he stood at the top of the Junior Rankings. But he didn't stop there.

Against common convention, he joined the Senior Rankings years early and made a name for himself, eventually stopping once he reached the top 50. Nowadays, he hovered near the single-digits, and many considered it a matter of time before he penetrated even that barrier. Harry had met with the young man just a couple of years ago to help heal his mother. Had Sairaorg not already made a name for himself and bound Regulus Nemea into his service, the Wizard would have considered him a more than worthy candidate for his plans. Unfortunately, the partially-bonded Longinus had the side effect of effectively closing off the Devil's soul. If he had not encountered the Lion King as the last member of his Peerage, Sairaorg would have never been able to complete it. It was a small miracle he had been able to swap his Evil Pieces for Noble Pieces at all.

"Sairaorg's eligible for the Joint Rating Tournament, isn't he? Did he register?" Harry asked curiously. It would be interesting to see how his Peerage fared against a true Longinus user. Vali would definitely appreciate the challenge.

"He's been eligible," Sirzechs replied with a frown. "Technically, the only reason he competes at the Rookie level is because the Council bars him from entry to the main tournament on account of his exile from his clan."

"There's no way around that? Surely not every strong Devil belongs to a Pillar Clan."

"Actually, he's the only one that doesn't."

Kuroka and Rugal paused in their staring contest.

"How is that possible?" the werewolf asked.

"Resources and connections. If you aren't part of a Pillar Clan, never mind your natural abilities, you don't have any access to specialized training and have to rely completely on luck for your Peerage."

"That seems really unfair," Kuroka commented.

"It is," the Crimson Satan agreed. "We're trying to change it, but societal inertia being what it is…"

"That was a pretty smart-sounding phrase you just used, Zechs-chan! D'you actually know what it means?" a new voice chirped from the doorway.

"Sera!"

Harry and many others watched in amusement as the spell matrix in Walburga's hands nearly imploded due to being startled by Augusta's sudden cry. The two young women had been almost shoulder-to-shoulder as the older of the two became increasingly curious about what her daughter was doing. Rugal could only facepalm at his mother's antics.

Serafall, for her part, responded enthusiastically to the witch's delight and opened her arms for a hug. August took the open invitation and launched herself at the magical girl Satan. The two of them hugged and rocked back and forth happily for a few seconds before disengaging.

"Harry! Your turn!"

"Yeah! Your turn!"

They both looked at the armored man expectantly. Harry deadpanned at them for a solid five seconds before he remembered that neither could see his face. He settled for a verbal denial.

"No."

His wife clutched at her heart theatrically and fell backwards, where she was caught by Augusta.

"Oh woe is me! My dear hubby won't give me his love! Whatever shall I do?"

"Give up?" Sirzechs suggested. He was smacked over the head by the Invisibility Cloak, which had removed itself from Harry's shoulders when Serafall arrived. After completing its task, the cloak returned and settled around the other the female Satan. Said female Satan patted it appreciatively.

"Stupid bloody… I may have failed once, but I swear to Satan I'll find a way to destroy you…"

"You swear to yourself?" Augusta wondered aloud.

"You swear to me?" Serafall asked, all trace of her former sorrow gone.

"If anything, he should swear to Ajuka. He's the most reliable and sensible one," Rugal decided to pile on. His meeting with the Satan of Technology had gone over extremely well, and the two of them had bonded over friendly insults directed at the company they kept.

"As long as it's not Falbium," Harry mused. "He'd probably let you down on purpose."

"If you're still taking suggestions, I vote for Sera-tan!"

"Mm… same. Most fun."

"Thank you, Kuro-chan, Shiro-chan! Love you too!"

Sirzechs deadpanned at them all. "You all suck."

"Hey, at least I didn't vote against you," Harry pointed out.

"We know you're just being nice, Master! It's okay. Zechs-chan needs to hear the truth!"

"You're all a bunch of dumbasses. Can't you wait in peace?"

Six pairs of eyes and one helmet turned towards Walburga. The woman glared back. Even at the helmet. She got eight different responses near simultaneously.

"Like you're one to talk." (Rugal) "Boo. Bad Shien." (Augusta) "Stick in the mud." (Serafall) "…No fun." (Shirone) "We were just messing around." (Sirzechs) "Relax, Walburga." (Harry) "What's her problem?" (Vali) "You need sex." (Kuroka)

The last remark made her eye twitch. She focused her glare on the dark-haired Nekoshou who just smiled back at her.

"Anyway," Serafall said, cutting off the impromptu staring contest, "it's time!"

"It is? Are the other Kings ready?" Sirzechs asked in confusion. "We barely told them like an hour ago."

"Other Kings?" Harry echoed. "What's going on?"

The Crimson Satan grinned wickedly. Serafall blinked a couple of times before smiling mischievously as well.

"Why, Harry! I mean, Master! You didn't know about the Royal Ceremony?"

"The what?"

"The Royal Ceremony!" Sirzechs repeated. "All of the most prominent leaders of their teams are introduced!"

"Wasn't that what the opening ceremony was for?"

"Nope!" Serafall answered, popping the 'p'. "The opening was for you and your Peerage, and the rest of the participants! This one is specifically for a special subset of people!"

Harry didn't like where this was going.

"What subset?" Rugal asked, lost.

"The ones everyone is here to see. The ones with titles. Pseudo-royalty, hence the name," Vali responded. Harry looked to the teenager with a hint of betrayal.

"You knew about this and didn't tell me?"

"Albion told me you already knew and got mad at Kuroka for poking fun at you for it."

"Albion…!"

The dragon's rumbling laughter could be heard from the white metallic wings on Vali's back.

"Welp. No use worrying about it now! Hurry hurry! It's already starting!" Serafall urged. She bounced over to her disguised husband grabbed ahold of one arm. On his other side, Augusta did the same. The two women half-dragged the resigned Wizard to yet another public formal event. His Peerage and the small group from the Hexennacht followed, leaving behind a bewildered Sirzechs.

"Wait. But… Grayfia was supposed to…" Realization dawned on him. "Serafall…!"

The Crimson Satan used magic to swap his clothing with his more formal robes and quickly made his way towards the arena.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Royal Ceremony was every bit as pompous as he expected it to be. No, if anything, it was ten times worse. The massive coliseum lost its allure once one stood in the raised platform in the middle long enough. Making things worse were the thousands upon thousands of Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, Youkai, and all manner of other races filling almost every single seat past the first few rows, which were reserved for those directly affiliated with one of the 'Kings'.

Said Kings included Harry, dressed in his armor as Lord Orion and known as the Tyrant King; Sirzechs, the Crimson Satan, leader of the Underworld, and Noble King; Michael, leader of the Four Great Seraphs and he who sat upon the Throne of Heaven as the Heavenly King; and Azazel, leader of the Grigori and the Fallen King. From there, the surprises began. Also standing in the middle of the arena was Mephisto, the Magus King, basking in the spotlight; Yasaka, the Imperial King (or Queen), smirking at Harry; Tiamat, the Dragon King, cracking her knuckles and sending a much more menacing smile his way; and, the biggest surprise of them all, Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, who puffed away on his pipe nonchalantly.

How and why the Buddha was here was a subject of great interest for Harry. All that he'd been told was that Sun had shown up out of the blue about a day earlier as an emissary from the Hindu deities and decided of his own accord to participate in the Rating Tournament once he'd learned about it. All three of the latter Kings would not be participating in the Tournament proper since they lacked proper teams, or in Yasaka's and Mephisto's cases, they simply refused to field them, but they would duel the other Kings individually in a round robin exhibition before the finals. The entire tournament was divided into four brackets, which were then divided into a winner's and a loser's bracket in a double elimination style competition. The finals would be held between the winners from each of the four brackets and the four Kings with teams, who, instead of participating in any of the brackets, would fight against each other in weekly exhibition matches until it came time for the finals to begin.

Taking a short break from his observation of his fellow Kings, Harry resumed the losing battle against his urge to deadpan at the various members of his Peerage and Augusta. The two Nekoshou were holding up a banner that spelled 'Go, Master Orion!' in big black letters outlined in gold. Shirone held up a small peace sign at him, while Kuroka waved enthusiastically. Serafall and Augusta had both acquired cheerleader's outfits from somewhere and were equipped with a pair of pompoms each, shaking them around in a scarily-good display of choreography he swore must have been practiced even though the two women met barely days earlier. Even Vali hadn't skipped out on his own addition to the impromptu cheering squad, clad in his Scale Mail and single-handedly waving around a flag with his master's crest on it. The odds were better than fifty-fifty the half-Devil was being influenced or actively encouraged by Albion.

Next to his gathered supporters sat Sirzechs' Peerage, the towering form of Surtr Second proudly wearing a shirt that displayed the combined Gremory-Lucifer crest on it. His size was such that the magic circle was almost the same size as the one on Vali's flag, much to the teenagers chagrin and the fire giant's amusement. Sirzechs, rather than be embarrassed by the actions of his Rook, took it all in stride and even went so far as to give the other man a thumbs-up. Booming laughter was interrupted by a pointed glare from Grayfia, who apologized politely for interrupting the proceedings. The menacing smile she directed at her husband made the man gulp and chuckle nervously before he quickly composed himself to look as regal as possible.

Rias giggled at her older brother's antics from her spot behind his Peerage, with Akeno, Asia, Xenovia, Yuuto, and Rossweisse sitting around her. For a moment, Harry wondered where Gasper was, before remembering that there was no way the agoraphobic Dhampir would have accompanied his King to such an event, no matter how much progress the boy was making in terms of conquering his fears. Sona and her own Peerage were nowhere to be seen, which saddened Harry slightly. He made a mental note to ask Michael about how the healing process for Issei and Saji was coming along later. The damage caused by Sin wasn't something he was inherently suited to treat, but surely his knowledge of conceptual magic had to be worth something. It would also give him a chance to ask for his own examination since he felt a little off, though it was just as likely due to his returned memories.

On the other side of the group of people associated with Lord Orion sat the members of Heaven's two teams for the Rating Tournament. Harry saw Griselda, wearing her modified nun's habit bearing Ajuka's crest; Vasco Strada, second-highest official of the entire Church as its Cardinal Priest; and Dulio Gesualdo, wielder of the second-strongest Longinus, Zenith Tempest, famed Joker of the Brave Saints as the strongest Exorcist, and the first reincarnated Angel to be considered for candidacy as a Seraph. He also recognized Mirana Shatarova, the Russian nun from Ajuka and Griselda's wedding; Irina, as cheerful and bubbly as ever; and Michael's sister Seraph, Gabriel. The other two Angels, judging from the amount of holy energy they contained, must have been the other Great Seraphs Raphael and Uriel.

In addition to them, Harry also saw an older man who bore a striking resemblance to Irina chatting amiably with Masaomi Yaegaki, who he had since learned had been absolved of his sins and reincarnated as the Ten of Spades under Michael, as well as a man whose magical signature seemed vaguely familiar. It took him a moment to identify the other man as a relative of Tsubaki's. They were joined by all of the other Brave Saints, although only about half of them were slated to participate. The first of Heaven's teams was led by none other than the leader of Heaven himself and consisted of all of the Seraphs except for Gabriel. Only the Four Great Seraphs and Metatron were currently in attendance, but when it came time for their match, the rest would descend from Heaven to showcase its strength. The second team was led by Dulio and was comprised of only reincarnated Angels. Vasco was apparently still too injured to compete at full capacity, but would be serving as both trainer and advisor to Dulio's team. Both teams would compete in the Rating Tournament, but only Michael's would take part in the battle royale this ceremony was setting up.

Beside the Heaven contingent were four of Azazel's fellow leaders of the Grigori, of whom Harry could personally identify two: Baraqiel, Akeno's father, and Kokabiel. The rebellious Fallen who had planned on instigating a war looked as bored as Harry felt, his bloodthirst nowhere to be found. It might have had something to do with his brief stint in Cocytus. Harry knew the names of the other Fallen Angel leaders, but without being given some sort of physical description or having met them, he could not know who was who and was loathe to use his mage sight for such a trivial matter. He felt a brief stab of regret for not paying attention during the original opening ceremony when all of the major participants and their Peerages had been introduced, but it soon passed.

Unlike Heaven, the third of the Three Factions participating had submitted upwards of twenty teams to the sixty-four team Joint Rating Tournament, though less than five had made it through the qualifiers. Their non-elite teams were made up of much weaker Fallen as opposed to the second of Heaven's two teams, which was expected to at least make it to the semifinals of the double elimination tournament, if not end up as one of the four finalists. The team led by Azazel was the same size as Sirzechs'. If rumor was to be believed, the wielder of Canis Lykaon would be joining the fray as one of the Grigori's top fighters.

Other than the members of the Three Factions, there were also a good number of Magicians from Grauzauberer filling a section of the first few rows. Among them was one petulant Lavinia Reni. Harry still wasn't quite sure why the woman disliked him and his alter ego, but her outrageous pout reminded him of his wife when he refused to appear on her magical girl show a couple of days ago. He followed the momentary flicker of her eyes to the figure of Vali, who was now pressed forehead-to-helmet with Surtr. Almost as if he'd felt her gaze, the armored teenager flinched backwards and shuddered slightly. His opponent in the staring content laughed boisterously, only to be silenced with another glare from Grayfia.

Harry examined the rest of the stands. It was strange that Yasaka had no Youkai here to support her, though now that he was looking for it, he could see the diminutive form of Kunou seated in Shirone's lap. When had the little Kitsune gotten there? Kuroka had abandoned her previous task of holding the banner up, using magic in place of her physical presence, and was doing her level best to cuddle the smaller girl to death. He smiled faintly inside his helmet when Shirone also gave up trying to hold herself back and joined the snuggle-fest. Serafall and Augusta, still clad in their skimpy cheerleading outfits, paused in their routine to look behind them and both squealed when they saw the little fox Youkai. Harry actually saw Kunou's eyes widen in slight panic before she was buried beneath two more bodies. The five females attracted much attention from the surrounding spectators, but Sirzechs' Peerage dismissed it as Serafall being herself and the Angels were as stoic as ever, though Gabriel looked wistfully over at the pile of cooing women and Uriel looked visibly agitated. Walburga and Rugal both facepalmed at their former leader's actions.

The announcer, one overly-excited Metatron dressed in something one might expect to see in a stereotypical ninja anime, stopped talking when he saw his fellow Seraph shout at the gaggle of women. All of the Kings narrowed their eyes when Serafall said something back and stuck her tongue out at him, though Michael and Harry were the most alert, prepared to spring into action in an instant if necessary. Uriel responded by raising his voice and advancing towards the female Satan, but found his way barred by both Gabriel and the remaining Great Seraph, Raphael. Behind them stood Vali in his Scale Mail and Souji in his Shinsengumi uniform, the rest of Sirzechs' Peerage standing ready. Harry saw the upset Seraph sway slightly before holding a hand to his head. A couple of seconds later, the golden-haired man straightened and bowed politely, apologizing before departing in a flash of light. Raphael turned and apologized as well. He then excused himself and followed after his fellow Seraph. Harry let the energy he'd been building up dissipate and stopped enhancing his senses.

Metatron recovered admirably, though the Kings could tell the man had begun skipping over unimportant sections in an effort to wrap up the ceremony earlier. With how long they'd already been standing there, nobody was complaining.

"I apologize for Uriel's conduct, Lord Orion."

Harry didn't turn his head at the whisper.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Michael. I saw the signs. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm afraid not. Though your magical expertise far outstrips ours in the realm of general application, I'm afraid you simply weren't created to do the things we do to purify the soul."

"I see. Let me know if anything changes."

"Of course. Likewise, I expect you to inform us, your allies, if the sword's effects begin to overwhelm you. You are not a natural Holy Sword user."

He shifted in his armor.

"Nightmare has no hold on me."

"Not now it doesn't. And I have no doubts as to your mental fortitude. But, in the end, you are only human, Master of Death, despite all your achievements and powers."

"I know."

Their conversation ended there. The illusion hiding Michael's actions fell away as the man returned to his previous spot. The rest of the Kings showed no signs of having heard or witnessed anything out of the ordinary. Sirzechs and Yasaka were giving him knowing looks, while Azazel refused to meet his eyes, but Harry ignored everything else around him as he focused inwards until he could see the familiar shape of his soul. The amorphous blob of white had fewer streaks of black in it now. Several fine threads ran from it towards members of his Peerage, but that wasn't what he was interested in. His attention was on a singular golden thread that connected from it to Excalibur Nightmare, stored away in his pocket dimension.

Harry wasn't a natural caster of theological magic, though he could mimic practically all of its many effects. Vali's membership in his Peerage gave him some measure of control over unholy energy, but the Divine Dividing host had no theological magic of his own, so its use was similarly barred from his master. Likewise with Albion. If Harry wanted to truly become a Holy Sword user, not that he planned on it, he'd have to find an Angel or someone else capable of naturally manipulating holy energy. However, he didn't need to be a Holy Sword user to hold on to the sword, nor did he need to be one in order to use its passive effects. Serafall wasn't happy with him, but she understood why he was doing it. With his other self out and about with Ajuka holding off the Khaos Brigade and the concentrated strength of the Three Factions, the various Magicians' organizations, and the Youkai all in one place, now was arguably the best time for him to confront his own demons. If worse came to worst, his wife could even take his place as Lord Orion. That was the beauty of having an identity based on a body-obscuring suit of armor.

After what seemed like another eternity, Metatron finally stopped talking and signaled to the gigantic board behind the Kings. Each of the Kings' titles appeared on screen and two boxes began cycling through them randomly. It took a few seconds before they settled on two of them. Harry cursed inwardly.

"Today's exhibition match to kick off the Joint Rating Tournament will be between none other than the Tyrant King, Sirius Orion Black, and the Magus King, Mephisto Pheles!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Arguments that Lord Orion had an unfair advantage since Mephisto was the Pact Magician of his Peerage's Wizard were silenced by the Devil himself announcing that the contract had been suspended for the duration of the Tournament. Questions about his legitimacy as a King, given the known power difference between him Sirzechs, were dismissed by the latter, who said that the Tournament was a sport and that as the leader of all of the Magicians, Mephisto had as much claim as anyone to a position as King. Harry personally found it interesting that the same questions were not raised with regards to Tiamat or himself, or even Sun Wukong whose power should have been relatively unknown.

The issue became clearer when Sirzechs pointed out to him that Mephisto was a member of an Extra family, and that most, if not all, of the complaints came from Purebloods. From then on, all of the Kings summarily ignored any further protests as they went to their designated places. Harry and Mephisto took their positions in their respective starting boxes, while Sirzechs, Michael, Azazel, Yasaka, Tiamat, and Sun went to the special spectator box for Kings situated above the arena itself.

This initial bout was supposed to be a spectacle, as were the rest of the exhibition matches prior to the finals. None of the Kings planned on going all-out before then, because it made no sense to do so when nothing was on the line, not to mention it would likely provoke unwanted conflict between the Three Factions that this event was supposed to stop in favor of more friendly competition. It wouldn't, of course, but it was a step in the right direction, or so the leaders hoped.

Harry felt a mental connection form.

" _I expect to be entertained, Master."_

" _You've caught me at a bad time, Mephisto. I'm not really in the mood."_

He heard the Devil scoff.

" _Oh, don't be like that. You and I both know you'll put on a show for the masses. Now, why don't you let me experience firsthand what a fellow Magician leader has to offer?"_

Metatron started the countdown.

" _I've passed leadership back to Augusta."_

" _Your magic doesn't work that way. What's yours will always be yours, whether you want it to be or not."_

" _Not Death."_

Across from Harry, Mephisto swept one hand through his blue and red hair, his mismatched heterochromatic eyes of the same color sharpening as the Devil began channeling a ridiculous amount of power. From what he could tell, it wasn't on the level of Sirzechs or Azazel when they were being serious, but it was close.

" _Death was never yours to begin with. You merely borrowed it."_

" _Enough already. What's your point?"_

The barrier separating them from the rest of the arena fell.

" _Don't make the mistake of letting your magic control you as well, Harry Potter."_

"Now, come at me!" Mephisto shouted gleefully.

The opening salvo was a storm of elements that was a testament to the Devil Magician's breadth of mastery. Having lived since the time of the Great War, his spells were backed with centuries of knowledge and experience, each being cast from its own magic circle and adhering to a different angle and method of attack. The assault would have brought any opposing Magicians to their knees from the sheer presence of magical energy saturating the air.

Harry reached out and duplicated it. This would be the first public demonstration of the full extent of Lord Orion's mysterious powers. The noise from the audience was deafening as each of Mephisto's spells were met with an exact copy from the hands of the armored man across from him. About a quarter of the Devil's barrage even changed course, redirected to strike at the man who'd originally cast it and reinforced by his opponent's own copycat magic.

"THERE IT IS!"

Both combatants ignored the booming voice of Metatron, who was commentating. The loud and proud Seraph was joined by Naud Gamigin, a high-class Devil who was a frequent announcer for Rating Games. Azazel had declined to nominate a Fallen Angel to join them after he was denied the role himself.

Mephisto casually avoided his and Harry's spells, though he was briefly surprised when his vision was filled with black armor. The resulting explosion of earth and dust as an armored fist crashed into the ground where the Devil had been standing moments ago threw the crowd into an even greater frenzy.

"Ooh, how dangerous. A Magician with martial prowess. Though I wonder, can you actually fight at such a range, or are you only pretending?"

Harry didn't bother responding since he knew that the other man was still just messing around. Mephisto seemed intent on playing up the match for the benefit of their audience. He always did love being the center of attention.

One arm batted aside a silver rapier as it was thrust at his helmet while the other drew his favored sword from within his cloak and brought it around in a fierce return slash. Despite the lowered visibility from the dust in the air, his aim was true, and Mephisto hurriedly deflected it with a shield of light before backing off. Harry pursued him out of the cloud of dirt and was met with a face full of magic circles. His target was nowhere in sight, though his senses told him the Devil had teleported to the opposite side of the arena behind him.

A magically-charged slash severed the more dangerous and powerful spells, and a wave of his hand took over the rest. To his surprise, rather than fall under his control immediately, they detonated in place. His armor weathered the blasts, but the impact and his confusion caused him to stagger slightly. He praised Mephisto in his mind for purposely using a volatile mix of energy in their composition. All of the circles were never meant to actually cast spells, only acting as midair mines. His musing was interrupted by a familiar series of elemental spears lancing through the air at him.

This time, he was able to successfully take possession of them and toss them right back. As expected, Mephisto dismantled the spells as they came within range, even thwarting Harry's attempts to make the spears explode.

"You know, I feel like this isn't quite fair," the Devil said idly, stabbing his rapier into the ground. "I mean, if you just assert control over all of my magic, what am I left with? I'm just a poor old Magician, after all."

Harry scoffed.

"Which is why!" A magic circle sprang to life underneath the Devil's feet. "I think I need some help!"

A roar echoed through the coliseum as a purple blur emerged from empty space and rushed at Harry. He met the charge head-on, dropping his sword to lock hands with the new arrival, who was revealed to be a humanoid Dragon once he was stopped. The sword disappeared into motes of light as it left its master's hands.

"Lord Orion!" Tannin shouted in challenge. "How I have waited for this moment! Let us clash!"

Harry was alarmed when he felt the Dragon's strength begin to overpower him, his armored joints threatening to buckle under his opponent's much larger frame. He let his magical energy reinforce his armor and headbutted Tannin to stun the Dragon long enough for him to disengage. A silent application of a repulsion spell threw the purple-scaled Dragon backwards across the field, though he recovered in midair, flaring his wings outwards and hovering for a moment before resettling on the ground. Mephisto smiled and clapped. The crowd was torn between cheering and booing at the Magician for summoning Tannin.

"Hard to please, aren't they?" he remarked. "Ah well, I believe familiars are well within the rules of the match."

"Familiars?" Harry spoke for the first time since the fight began.

"Indeed. Dear old Tannin here has graciously entered into a familiar contract with me."

"Is he no longer the Queen of your Peerage?"

"The roles are not mutually exclusive of each other."

"Funny, I thought they were."

Tannin stomped his foot impatiently and braced for another charge.

"Less talk, more action!" the Dragon demanded.

He ran at Harry again. Rather than watch from the sidelines, Mephisto supplemented his ally's rush with his own, dashing gracefully closer to the edge of the arena with his rapier poised to strike while Tannin took the more direct route.

Harry reared his fist back and let the natural energy of the world flow through him, enhancing his speed and strength to even more superhuman levels. A moment later, he took a single step forward that placed his body barely a meter away from the charging Dragon, having used Kuroka's preferred method of teleportation by Senjutsu. He heard a happy squeal from the stands. Against the laws of physics, Tannin halted his forward momentum and sidestepped the punch. However, he was still inexplicably blown away by an invisible force, crashing into the boundaries of the arena opposite where Mephisto was. The Devil Magician himself had stopped and was staring uncomprehendingly at the groaning form of Tannin with a rapidly discoloring patch of skin on his chest.

"…New tricks, Lord Orion?"

"My Rooks send their regards."

Mephisto glanced over at the two Nekoshou, one of which was jumping up and down with the pompoms she'd gotten from Augusta.

"I see. Well, never let it be known that Mephisto Pheles is incapable of change."

Harry paused as he felt a familiar surge of energy from the Devil. That same surge of energy was echoed by the man's familiar as the Dragon pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. He wore a disturbing smile. The Wizard recalled Yamata no Orochi's words. Was this the infamous lust for power all Dragons suffered from? Tannin shook himself in the next second, and when he looked at Harry again, his eyes were clear.

"You can use the magic of Demons," Harry stated.

"I can, Mephisto confirmed. "And thanks to your contributions to the Evil Piece System…"

"So can I!"

A maelstrom of crackling black energy enveloped Tannin as a palpable aura of bloodthirst descended upon the arena. Despite that, he showed no signs of corruption or otherwise being affected by it. The same energy covered his King's arms and ran down the length of the rapier he held, whose blade had turned black.

"Now then, shall we?"

 _Serafall, I'm borrowing this._

The lightning-fast thrust was invisible to his eyes even though Mephisto would have had to cover a distance of several meters to reach him. It failed to find its mark. Actually, it had found its mark, precisely where the Devil had been trying to attack. It had just failed to pierce the thin layer of transparent ice that had formed out of nowhere over Harry's armor. Mephisto's moment of shock nearly cost him, but Tannin's follow-up assault halted Harry's own counterattack as he was forced to dodge out of the way of the Dragon's overhead hammer blow. A flame jet splashed harmlessly against him as the Wizard materialized an ice spear and threw it at the source.

Mephisto closed his familiar's mouth with one hand and used the other to dismantle the spear before it could impale the Dragon through the head and take him out of the match. Tannin looked at his master guiltily as the Devil gave him a chiding look.

The three combatants stared at each other. Both Metatron and Naud had long since stopped bothering to commentate the match over the crowd. There was no need to hype it up any further.

As one, Tannin and Mephisto split to either side. Harry smirked within his helmet. He reached behind him and drew his sword back out, raising it above his head. In a swift motion, he plunged it into the ground. The arena split was in two by a magical barrier, causing his two opponents to stop short at potentially being separated for the rest of the match. The Wizard stood with the barrier running through him, unaffected by his own spell. Mephisto was the first to try and regroup. He found himself occupied by the armored form of Lord Orion bearing down on him with great speed. Tannin's own attempt was forestalled by a copy of Orion's armor, only made of ice.

"You think this flimsy creation will stop me?!"

The Dragon breathed deeply and began to exhale fire, failing to recognize the construct as the thing that stopped his flames previously. He was unpleasantly reminded of the fact when the ice armor rushed at him with speed almost matching the original and delivered a swift punch to his throat, disrupting his fire breath and making him cough as he swung wildly to ward it off. He wasn't given time to recover as the ice avatar maneuvered behind him and kicked his legs out. Tannin sustained several blows to his head before he flared his magic outwards and used it to forcefully push his attacker away.

The short exchange had severely affected him. The Dragon pounded at his head and knees to try and break the ice that had formed on them. Only when he enhanced his fists with unholy energy was he able to make any progress. His world shifted and Tannin found himself staring down a magic circle from his master. Mephisto's eyes widened as he hurriedly cut off the energy he was feeding the spell, but he was unprepared for Harry to take his familiar's place once more and plow through his weakened defenses, tackling the Devil to the ground.

Tannin's reappearance on the other side of the arena left him horribly disoriented and wide open to a second assault from the waiting icy suit of armor. His attempts to channel magical energy were halted when the avatar tackled him to the ground just Harry had done to his master. A moment later, he was fully encased in it. His struggles became weaker and weaker as he lost feeling in his limbs. Even Dragon physiology was not completely immune to the cold, only extremely resistant. Unbeknownst to him, the ice imprisoning him was also disrupting his energy and forcefully converting portions of it to ice-elemental energy to speed up the process of disabling him. If he had been calmer, Tannin might have been able to reverse the process, but the short period of time in which he'd been attacked, teleported, and immobilized caused him to cease thinking rationally as his race's battle frenzy took over.

Less than a minute later, he was removed from the arena and delivered to the medical room.

Meanwhile, Mephisto was desperately fighting a losing battle against the much stronger, armored form of Harry as he was pinned to the ground. When they had first begun grappling, the Devil made the unpleasant discovery that at such short range, his opponent was able to instantaneously thwart any of his attempts at elemental magic, and his mastery over theological magic was strictly limited to physical enhancement. He cursed himself for not spending more time training in the use of unholy energy.

With Senjutsu and all manner of other magic enhancing Harry's strength, he was easily able to overpower the Devil underneath him, who was unable to bolster his own strength beyond only Demon magic. Soon enough, Mephisto sighed theatrically, blowing a strand of red hair out of his face.

"Well, I suppose that's that then." Unable to move or use magic, he was completely at Harry's mercy. It would take a while with his constitution and resistance, but he would succumb eventually.

"It is." Harry was grateful the Magician didn't actually force him to sling spells at close range until he knocked the other man out. That would take far too long.

"I forfeit!"

The whole coliseum was silent. Then, the audience exploded as the floating screen displayed the Tyrant King's victory. Metatron's excited raving was tempered slightly by Naud's more sophisticated and experienced commentary, though even the Devil was having trouble containing himself.

Harry got up and offered a hand to his fellow King, which the other man took gratefully. Mephisto brushed himself off with a pout.

"Really, couldn't you have found a better solution to our stalemate than tackling me to the ground like some barbarian?"

The silver sword embedded in the ground floated over to its master and dissipated into motes of light after a cursory examination.

"No."

"You're insufferable sometimes, you know that?"

Ignoring the Devil's playful teasing, Harry turned to leave. He made it all of two steps before he was promptly ambushed by his Peerage. Serafall's bone-crushing hug actually threatened to bend his armor. He supposed she must gotten over his refusal to field her as a Peerage member.

"You used my magic! You used my magic!" she chirped happily.

Harry wondered what the rest of the Underworld thought about one of their leaders, a newly-married one at that, hugging the master of her husband the way she was. He coughed politely and detached her, only to have Kuroka take her place. Shirone restrained herself, but he could see the other Nekoshou sending him what she probably thought qualified as furtive and subtle glances.

"Yes, Serafall. I did. Is there a problem?"

His wife looked at him in confusion. Realization dawned on her as she remembered where they were.

"Ahem. Uh, no. I mean…"

"Perhaps further conversation would be better suited to a different setting," Mephisto suggested, walking up beside them.

"I wanna fight you!" Vali declared suddenly. "And your familiar!"

"Perhaps you will get your chance in the finals," the other Devil replied airily. "I would give my permission to have you fight alongside your master provided I am allowed to bring one of my own. Dear Lavi is quite put out that I did not compose a team."

Harry paused in his futile attempts to dislodge Kuroka, not at all helped by Serafall silently encouraging her, and looked over at Mephisto.

"About that. Does Lavinia Reni have some quarrel with me or my Wizard?"

"Ah. Not really; she's just disappointed that I was supposedly in contact with the two of you for quite a while and never informed her, and by the time she found out, both of you were out of reach. She was looking forward to having a younger Magician to play around with."

"…Play around with?"

Vali shuddered, drawing his master's attention. At Harry's questioning gaze, the silver-haired teenager swallowed his nervousness and explained.

"Lavinia is… she's something," he said unhelpfully. "Extremely friendly and touchy-feely."

" **Vali is afraid of her,"** Albion supplied.

"I am not! She just freaks me out! With how she hugs me every time we meet, and-"

"You've met?" Harry interrupted.

"Didn't I tell you? A few years ago, she got involved in a situation with Canis Lykaon. I got caught up in it since I happened to be in the area, and she's never stopped trying to track me down since."

"Why?"

"She sees him as a little brother," Mephisto answered. "Her little 'Va-kun'."

"She speaks Japanese?"

"She's good friends with Tobio Ikuse, the wielder of Canis Lykaon, and became interested in Japanese after visiting Japan with him."

Harry hummed noncommittally. The cheers from the crowd were getting a little annoying now. At least the magic circles had stopped recording him from up-close after his signature aura disrupted them. With how far away they had to be in order to remain unaffected, there was no chance they could catch what they were talking about down on the ground, and his helmet hid his lips.

"Let's get out of here."

"Too loud," Shirone agreed.

"Yeah! And then we can celebrate!" Kuroka said.

"It was just an exhibition match."

"Don't care!"

The dark-haired Nekoshou pulled on his arm impatiently while Shirone stepped forward and grabbed onto his free arm.

"Is this what they call 'a flower in each hand'?"

Harry glared at Mephisto. The Devil Magician smiled back genially.

"Ah, wait! Lord Orion, sir!"

The small group of people turned and saw Metatron descending from the commentators' box next to the special viewing platform where the other Kings stood.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations!" the Seraph boomed. "Your victory was amazing! Do you have anything you'd like to say to the audience or your fellow competitors?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, would you be willing to attend a personal interview? Many are curious about you since you're so reclusive. This could be your chance to put your best foot forward! Let your ambitions be known!"

"I have no interest in revealing any more of myself than is strictly necessary to accomplish my goals."

"Then you admit that your participation in such a public competition serves those goals?"

"I will answer no further questions. Leave me."

Harry walked off, followed by his Peerage, all of them declining the invitation for an interview. Metatron deflated slightly, but quickly perked up when Mephisto offered to take the interview in Lord Orion's place. The magic circles recording the interview had to wait for the Noble Tyrant to leave before they could do their jobs. In the meantime, Naud had also taken up position next to Metatron on the self-repairing floor of the arena.

"Excellent!" the Seraph said in his normal voice, causing his fellow commentator to lean away slightly. "Then, we can begin! Now, having been possibly the only person to fight against Lord Orion and live to tell the tale, what are your initial impressions of the man? His fighting style? His magic?"

Mephisto smiled mysteriously.

"Well, if I had to sum his magic up in one word, I would say his title is a rather fitting moniker. Truly, the 'Tyrant' is an apt description for how he dominates the field of battle."

"Indeed! We saw several instances of him seemingly wresting control of your spells from you, and he even met your initial assault with an exact copy! However, you are the chairman of your organization and the leader of the Magician's Council! In terms of magical knowledge, surely you have the advantage?"

"I wouldn't go that far. Lord Orion's magic is a lost art, one that not even I could ever hope to replicate."

Naud jumped in at this point.

"Magic that you, the world's oldest living Magician, could never master?"

"Master? Oh no, if anything, he's long since mastered his particular field of magic and made it all his own. Were I to suddenly become able to follow in his footsteps, it would be as naught but an apprentice."

"How are you so sure that the Tyrant King has mastered his magic?" the Devil commentator asked with interest.

"Call it… intuition."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"So Master, what's next?" Vali asked.

"Don't call me that."

"Yep, he's back to normal alright," Rugal noted. He suppressed a shudder at the Wizard's gaze. Having the Master annoyed at you was more than just unnerving. It was only made worse by his enhanced senses. Lucky for him, he was saved by Harry getting tackled into the nearby couch.

"Nyahaha, he wouldn't be our Harry if he wasn't so adorable!"

Harry's irritation was tempered by Kuroka wrapping her arms around his head and suffocating him in her cleavage while she sat in his lap.

"Me too!" His wife similarly wrapped herself around his waist.

"Me three!" Augusta added herself to the cuddle pile on his other side, effectively preventing him from moving left or right.

Finally, Shirone plopped herself down in his lap next to her sister and relaxed against his chest, content. He was immobilized, trapped in a cage of female bodies. When he turned his head to the side to breathe and admonish Kuroka, the Nekoshou giggled and lowered herself so that she could snuggle her sister and her master at the same time.

"…Women are terrifying," Vali said.

" **Wise words."**

"You can say that again," Rugal agreed.

Walburga took one look at two men and scoffed.

"Buncha limp dicks, you two are."

"Hey!"

Rugal ignored his stepsister, long used to her insults.

"In all seriousness, Master, do you need me for anything? I've got a couple of things to take care of elsewhere."

"Go right ahead. I'm not going anywhere, and I don't think Augusta is either."

"Nope!" the witch chirped.

Satisfied with his dismissal, the werewolf exited the living room of Serafall's mansion in the direction of the multipurpose teleporter room. Walburga glanced at Harry for a couple of seconds, receiving a halfhearted wave, before she followed suit.

"So uh. What about me?"

"Do whatever you want, Vali. Today's pretty much over. We can start your training tomorrow."

"Got it!" the teenager accepted enthusiastically. "Well then, uh. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Mhm."

After he left, the room was silent except for the purring of the two Nekoshou sharing Harry's lap space. He actually felt rather cramped on the couch. Deciding he was a Wizard, and wizards could use magic to fix anything, he transfigured the couch into a half-bed, the cushions elongating to allow him to put his feet up and lean backwards. The four women attached to him followed his movement. Shirone was curled up with her head on his chest, while her twin sister rested her own head above hers and below Harry's chin. Serafall and Augusta had their heads on either of his shoulders.

"Harry…" his wife started.

"Mm?"

"How is it?"

"Not bad at all. I don't even know it's there most of the time."

"What?" Augusta asked, being the only one who didn't know about Harry's recent acquisition.

"Excalibur," Shirone replied.

"Excalibur _Nightmare_ ," Kuroka elaborated. "Harry-kun's using it to overcome his fears."

"Close enough," Harry said, drifting off as the exhaustion from using his magic caught up to him.

Augusta sat up and looked at him closely.

"Mm… looks fine to me. At least for now," she commented after a few seconds of observation.

"Yep yep. Looks good to me too!" Kuroka agreed.

"Same," her sister chimed in.

Serafall pouted.

"Well excuse me for being worried, then! Are you sure it won't affect… the other you?"

"It won't," Harry reassured her. "And even if it does, I'm not doing much today. I have the next couple of days to adjust and see how it really affects me."

"You better tell me at the first sign of anything, buster! And all of you, too! Keep a close eye on him!"

"The same goes for you, Sera. The Elder Wand is the most temperamental of the Deathly Hallows. It's not meant to be passed on without conflict. We don't know what you may be compelled to do."

The magical girl Satan scoffed.

"Pfft, but it's so friendly! I mean, sure, I get the urge to beat people over the head more often than I used to, but whenever it gets bad I can just wait for Zechs to do something stupid when his Grayfia isn't around and whack him instead!"

"And I'm sure Sirzechs appreciates you helping his wife keep him in line," Harry said drily.

"You know it! I even got approval!"

Once again, he was reminded that Devils were weird, and he really should have seen this coming.

"Sera. The next time you get violent urges, tell me or Augusta."

"I really, really, _really_ want to fuck you into a coma right now. Does that count?"

"Four- Grk! Shiro-chan! That hurt!"

"…Five of us."

"Ooh! You're right! Fivesome, fivesome!"

Harry deadpanned at the women.

"No."

"Nuh uh! You don't get a say this time! Augusta!"

The Wizard became alarmed when he felt his connection to his magic flicker a bit. It transitioned into slight panic when he discovered he was no longer able to apparate.

"You didn't…"

"Your harem told me you ran away from them last time! Naughty naughty!" the silver-haired woman sing-songed at him.

His other methods of teleportation were similarly blocked. The two Nekoshou in his lap grabbed ahold of each of his arms with Senjutsu-enhanced strength beyond his own.

"They're not part of my harem. I don't have one. Serafall's my only wife," Harry attempted to reason with Augusta.

"That's not what Sera told me~!"

"You know she would lie!"

"And plus, we already slept with her!"

Kuroka's blunt statement brought Harry up short.

"What?!"

Surprisingly, Serafall blushed and denied it.

"She means literally sleeping. I haven't, uh, done it with anybody but you."

"Aww, Sera-chan! Why'd you have to go and ruin it like that? You make it sound like you don't want to sleep with us!"

Shirone turned her kitten eyes on Serafall.

"Of course I want to sleep with you! Uh, wait. That didn't come out right. I mean, yeah, I want to have sex with them, but only if you're with us!" she cried, pleading with Harry.

"And so! Come on and fuck already!" Augusta interjected. "You are the only straight male I've ever seen to reject a foursome, and now you've got one more who wants to get you off and you're still refusing! Are you insane?"

"Actually, Yasaka wants the D too," Kuroka added. "Also Kunou when she grows up. Probably."

"Kunou's my goddaughter!" Harry protested. Augusta ignored him.

"Yasaka? You mean the nine-tailed fox King? Harry, you refused a MILF like that?! How could you?! I demand you take your wife over to wherever she's staying and fuck her brains out right this instant!"

"Are you mad?!"

"Are you?!"

Augusta didn't wait any longer and began tugging at Harry's pants, aided by Serafall. Meanwhile, Kuroka and Shirone worked together to get his shirt off. They were all interrupted by the door slamming open.

"Master! I forgot to… oh shit."

" **Vali. It was an honor knowing you."**

The rapidly paling teenager shrunk back as the four women seemed to exude auras of pure death. He felt like he was facing four of his master at the same time. Somehow, his fight-or-flight instinct triggered and made the decision that probably saved his life.

Harry let out a sigh of relief as the twin Nekoshou, accompanied by Augusta, chased the screaming Vali down the hall. He heard the crash of shattering glass as his Dragon Piece jumped out of a window to escape his pursuers. In his haste and terror-stricken state, the Divine Dividing host had forgotten all about his abilities to travel near the speed of light and teleport.

"Is it really that bad?"

Serafall had a remorseful expression on her face. Harry sighed in resignation.

"No, Sera. It wouldn't be _that_ bad. It's just…"

"Just?"

"…Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Harry!"

He smiled faintly at her pout.

 _If I die… No. I can't think like that. I will survive. And then I'll come back to you. Then, maybe I'll let them in too._

The female Satan blinked in surprise when Harry hugged her close, but soon relaxed into his embrace and hugged him back.

"Eventually."

"Eventually? Eventually what?"

"Not now. But eventually, I might be willing to let them join us. But not now," he emphasized. Serafall didn't care and kissed him happily.

"Good enough for me!"

Harry smiled at her, and she beamed back at him. Her features soon changed into a more teasing look, and he knew what was coming.

"So… is it 'eventually' yet?"

"No, Sera. Ask me later." She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "Like next month."

She pouted at him, but he wasn't moved.

"Fiiine." She paused before beaming at him again. "I'll tell them they can join us starting next month then!"

"That's not what I said."

"Lalala, I can't hear you!"

"Sera!"

* * *

A/N: Friendly reminder that our update schedule can be found on my profile. Additional story details are also posted there.

Remember: the Noble Pieces let Peerage members use some of their masters' abilities, while the Tyrant Pieces let Harry use the abilities of his Peerage.

The outcome of the fight should come as no surprise. Mephisto, who mainly uses magic, is at a ridiculous disadvantage going up against Harry, who may as well be an anti-magic specialist.

All of the Khaos Brigade Arc will be released next before we continue with the Rating Tournament. Events that occur in either arc will usually be addressed or referenced in the following chapter. For example, the impact of the events of Chapter 21a will be displayed in Chapter 22a/b and onwards.

Work on the rewrite has begun. The expanded Prologue, Chapter 0, and edited Chapter 1 have been released in Last Rites: Redux, as well as this story. The Excalibur Arc rewrite will NOT be posted to this story. When it is finished, we will delete Redux and replace all of the chapters at once to preserve continuity.

In the next chapter (of the Rating Tournament Arc), Harry gets a new Peerage member!


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